When things happen in my life, it is normally the result of hard work, trying times, and excruciating planning. However, every now and then life throws me a curve ball or two. For instance the last two weeks, I can not even *try* to explain.
Midway through August, Dennis was laid off. No pity please, he had already started job hunting long before the layoff…so it came as a relief for us both. The job was unsatisfactory in that his management did not appreciate his effort and their ethics are virtually non-existent.
Two weeks after the layoff, my chronically sick Mom calls me and is worried about my lil’ sister Emma. She is 12 and is starting to have issues with homeschool. (Emma was in homeschool because my Mom’s health is so bad she’s constantly in and out of hospitals and driving all over SoCal to get treatment). My sister Meera, who provides health services for my Mom, was needing to finish her creds program so she could teach and start her own career. Long story short, Emma came to live with us!
Thus, August 30th, Emma hopped on a plane, and we picked her up at the airport. Two days later, she was attending her first day of 7th grade. The last time she had been in public school was 3rd grade, I believe.
Dennis & I were totally flabbergasted. What were we supposed to do? We went over to the school and filled out a mountain of paperwork. Lucky for us, she had only missed 1 week of classes, so she wasn’t too far behind. Phew!
We didn’t have a bed for her, or even a room ready. So, she slept in the basement for the first week. We worked a lot with her about things most kids (by that age) already know. For instance:
The importance of using Soap in the shower!
Eating breakfast in the morning, and not leaving the bowl with milk still in it on the counter (the cats would go nuts!).
How to use a combination lock (she needed to learn to use her locker at school).
The importance of setting an alarm in the morning.
Respecting others by not interrupting them when they talk.
and one of the most important thing:
School is a place of learning, not a place to try and *take over*. (She had been so deprived of contact with her peers that when she first arrived in school, she went a little crazy harnessing and absorbing all the attention from her classmates.)
Emma is a real delight to have around the house. She is really bright and chocked full of energy. Dennis & I are enjoying her company, and we are fortunate that she picked up on this stuff relatively quickly (to our great relief!). We are very excited for her future, and we think it’s good for my Mom to have the space to heal and not be worried about Emma’s education or social framework.
On her third day in CO, I decided we should go for a Jog. So we jogged a big 5K loop around the house. We had a riot in the park, where we got dizzy on the 2 person merry go rounds! The last half mile was hard for her, but I kept motivating her by saying it was just one more block. (I know, I’m a trickster!).