And Now We Are Black?

The elementary school has this great school wide project where each student draws a picture of their family, and this picture is hung up around the school. It's awesome to see everyone's families "hanging around" and really makes it a community. So I was really excited when we received the assignment for us to create this picture so that our family can be hung up and be a part of the community.

"Ok Madi! Remember all those pictures of the kids' families hanging in the school? Well it's your turn now to draw US!" So exciting!!!
"Ok Mommy, anything?"
"YES, anything," so I left her to her creation.
After about 30 minutes of really hard work she comes to me "Mom! I'm done! Do you like it?"

I had no idea what to say. It was great! The details were awesome. I could see how she was growing with her drawings, she drew me and her with longer hair and Tyler and her father with shorter hair and we all had clothes on....but we were all brown. It was really really cute and I loved the pictured. But as I wrote our name: WONG on the very top with these 4 very brown people below it just made me giggle really hard! This picture will stay with us until they leave...in the 5th grade! At some point we will be asked if we are really a black Chinese family...LOL!

I did not bring this to her attention but I do find it funny. You have to understand that when I was at that same elementary school with predominantly Jewish children and other than my 2 cousins and 2 other kids were only chinese kids in the school. So I grew thinking I was Jewish and boy was I in for rude awakening when I did not get Bat Mitzvahed! And to be Chinese on top of that! Awkward!!! and now my daughter in one picture has made us THE Black Chinese family of Newton MA. Thank god I am now 36 and can handle it :)

Cutting the Umbilical Cord...again.

It's done initially when the kids are first born when we are at the hospital, at home, in the car, side of a highway or wherever you happen to be when your bundle of joy decide to join you in this world. You then embrace this child into your bosom and he's yours to raise, to love and to protect. You are his protector, his shield. In the protection of your home he's fine.

Then some of us send our prized possessions out to daycare and the cord is then cut again so to speak...but even then you still have some control. These people are being paid and you have choice of where you place your child and you can choose to place your child in a lower ratio environment so that your child continues to receive the attention and protection he needs right? or some of us choose to get hire a nanny and that's even better! don't really need to cut the cord again, you just get an extension. phew!

Ok, so then we get to preschool. We bring them into the school and and the ratios get a little higher and what ?! they are NOT THE MOST important but 1 of 15 in the class?! and we find that when they come home they may not be wearing ALL the layers they went in with and you learn to adjust and accept and to breathe. And we cut the cord...again. We need to let them grow up. We walk them into school and we pick them up. We make sure they leave us and into the hands of the teacher and then back into our arms, all safe. Great.

Now we are in Kindergarten. Ratios are higher. WAY more kids in the school. Bigger and rougher kids and mine are just babies! Reel that cord back in! In fact, back in the womb! We walk to school every morning and we walk to their lockers together and they get unpacked and a kiss and into the classrooms and they are safe. Ok. snip! cautiously...but I'll cut the cord again. Today, the principal comes down during drop off and announces that she thinks it's time that parents should think about letting go and letting our kindergartners...OUR BABIES...come to school ON THEIR OWN! DROP OFF AT THE DOOR!!!! Cords back on and reeling...They may be ready...but I'm really not sure if I am ready. These are my babies! It was only last month that Tyler shoved all his stuff into the wrong locker!

I need to come to grips. I know I need to cut the cord for good. I know I have to let them go and be big girls and boys. I didn't cry the first day of kindergarten, but I just might cry now! Maybe I can let them go in and I'll sneak around and make sure they got in ok? I'll probably get discovered by a teacher and they'll call security and have me arrested, I'll have to crawl through the vent space. Note: need to diet now so I don't get stuck in the vents!!!

Dora saves the Day!

It's Monday morning and a week away from Madi and Tyler's big birthday party. Can I use it for leverage to get just 1 good week out of them? Tyler I'm not so worried about, Madi...she's the one I would love just 1 good week out of. "Madi brush your teeth." no answer. "Madi, brush your teeth". no answer. "Madi, your party is cancelled". "ok! ok! just one minute and I'm only brushing the bottom ones." This is going to be a long long week.

So we're standing in the bathroom and after much debate she brushes her hair and I'm applying some make up so I don't scare the whole entire schoolyard and I matter or factly tell her, "oh I got an email from Santa." "What Santa say?" "Oh, nothing, he just wanted to know what Tyler wanted for Xmas." (I'm watching her reaction in the mirror and she thinks I'm just applying makeup) "what about me?!" "I dunno!" and her face was so angry!

and then we had a mini prego pause...and i said..."oh gawd Madi, did you get on the naughty list?!?" "NO! i didn't!" "well I dunno..maybe he'll email me later...that's weird" and we let the subject drop.

Later on downstairs she brings it back up and then she tells me, "well mom, I don't care if I'm not on Santa's list." "You don't?!" "No, cuz I know Dora will fix it." I think blood was streaming down my lips as I am biting down so hard to keep from laughing so hard. "What are you talking about? How is Dora going to fix it?" "Well mom, Dora saves Christmas all the time, didn't you see it last year? so don't worry, Dora will save Christmas and I will be on Santa's Christmas list."

Hmmmmm....I hope someone emails Dora this! This girl thinks Dora is going to save her....does she even realize that both Dora AND Santa don't exist?!?! Boy will she feel stupid when she's 12!

When does the "filter" develop???

So it's been crazy which is why I haven't written..but I just had to share this.

This morning my neighbor has an emergency and asks me to take her son up to school when we go, not a problem since he's in Madi's class. Madi hears this and starts to groan "that kid talks so much! omg!" Is this girl serious?! This coming from a girl who won't shut up sometimes...yet has a speech delay, go figure! So our little friend shows up and we're still getting our coats and shoes on for school so our friend waits for us to get dressed and we're in the mudroom area connected to our garage and the garage door was shut. So the kids are chatting away. They talk about how they have a garage too and Madi tells him that the other night we were watching Dancing with the Stars and the results of the election and "mommy doesn't want, um...what's his name mommy?"

"who madi?"
"you know that man you don't like when we were watching Dancing with the Stars?"
"Barney Frank"
"yeah Barney Frank! cuz now my mommy will get fired!"
I laughed and said "No, mommy won't get fired, but it's not as good for mommy's work"
"Yeah! We don't like him!"
And she tells all this to the poor kid she complains talks too much and who probably didn't care what is good for Madi's mommy's job!

So we finally finished, coats, hats, gloves, shoes and the garage door opens so we can walk to school.

Well, the minute the door opens we see Lou.

Tyler to our friend "do you know Lou?! He's annoying right?"
Madi to our friend at the same time "we don't like Lou!"
Our friend...well let's just say the poor thing's head was spinning I think.

Kids can be so cruel, it's awful. But then again there are kids who are annoying and deserves it...

So just in case Lou didn't hear what they said really loud about him, they chased him up the street saying they won't play with him anymore. Thank god Halloween is over I really don't want our house egged!