So, we just moved to a new state and a new school system. No big deal right? People do it all the time, but something about this time was so different!
We moved from a private parochial school to a dreaded “Public School”. We are such bad parents , we used to throw out the “we are sending you to public school”, whenever we were dealing with laziness and just plain teenage rebellion. We did our homework, found a good school system and felt we made the best decision for our family. Anyway……………….
A few years after starting private school; we started to notice a change in our child and also a change in the other students and parents. First, there were whispers about bullying and snootiness. “Oh, maybe you miss understood it or they didn’t mean it!” We were so naive. We thought: just because we were sending our kid to a christian private school, there would not be drama….man were we ever wrong! Clothes were not an issue at first, because everyone wore uniforms. We went out and got our kid the primo line-wind breaker, long and short sleeve polos etc., only to be told at about the 4th week: “I wanna pullover hoodie!” “But, you’ll mess up your hair when you pull it over your head!” “Mom! you don’t take it off!” “But you’ll get hot and sweaty and stinky.” All reasoning fell on deaf ears. Then the shoe thing started:” I’m not gonna wear those, people will think I’m a geek or a dork!” “But, Sweetie you are our super smart little geek-embrace your geekness. Your Dad and I are dorks so, be proud of your heritage!”. “Mom, I want Converse-converse high tops! WAWAWAWA!!” “Oh, you mean boo-boo shoes? Are you sure you want to wear boo-boo shoes? You know I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those things when I was growing up!” Rolling eyes and off we all go shopping for black sneakers with a white toe box. How hard can that be? Right!? Wrong!!
The problem was; I seem to have not gotten the “Converse” part of the conversation, so after a mini meltdown (mine) and $40 bucks later we had the new “have-to-have” shoes. Peer pressure 1, Parents 0. Then the thing with bullying started. Our kid was the center of a photo attack and the school handled it quietly and didn’t even tell us. You can image the fuming that was going on in our home. And then there was the cussing in the parking lot and other annoying stuff.
So not only was the kid happy to hear that public school was on the horizon, but as parents: no more driving to school, no more having to deal with people trying to be Holy in appearance, but not in actions.
Aaaaannnyway, we get here and someone keeps telling us that we got to be careful, that our kid won’t be labeled because of wardrobe. WHAT? Your kidding right?! Oh,no…if they wear too much black they go into the Goth group, if they wear western wear-they are “Goat ropers” (their words not mine). It gets more frantic the closer we get to the start of school. No black shirts, or pants; shoot to be on the safe side: no black what so ever! The bad thing is, I’m getting caught up in this insanity-me the closet Goth, Goat roper, Gypsy Biker Mom.
Well, I was relieved after last nights Meet and Greet – the kids are normal, they dress normal-except for one gorgeous girl who was soooo kind to my kid. She wore the most scratchy, bugly knee socks I have ever seen. But hey, that is what it’s all about : dressing in what you feel comfortable in. So, after meeting “scratchy socks” and seeing how kind and observant she was, I’m no longer worried about my kid.
I have been shown yet again, that there is such a thing as” Mass Hysteria” and that it is easy to get caught up in it , especially if we think it could harm a loved one. As always it is best to wait and get all the facts first hand; instead of letting rumors drive our actions.
Life on 2 Wheels 