Wednesday, April 23, 2008

April 23, 2008


Today is a day of change that set the events of the next few weeks in motion. I realized today that Emily will do ok, no matter what she decides to do. It's spring break and Emily is working nearly full time. She gets up, dresses, makes a lunch and off to works she goes. At the end of the day, she's tired but happy and no signs of the headaches that plague her at school. Could it just be coincidence ? I've tried for the past year to push Emily into getting a job, driven her around, helped her fill out applications with absolutely no enthusiasm from her at all. This past spring she asked our neighbor Janni about working with her, she filled out the application, set up an interview and was hired all without my help. Emily showed me early on that she wasn't ever going to do anything until she was ready, seems I forgot because when she was ready to get a job, she did. She's also been coming home from school and asking to be homeschooled for the last 6 months or so. I've always considered homeschooling Dan but didn't feel like I was qualified to teach this 9th grader, who probably knew more then I did. They make the "new math" sound very intimidating.
Emily was scheduled to work 9am - 4pm so Dan and I dropped her of at work, then went to Green Briar where Danny has a two hour class called Froggy frolic. On the way in I got stuck in line and noticed a woman I hadn't seen since Dan was a baby, I said Hi, asked about her little one, and if he was doing the same class. She said he was and mentioned that she wished they did class for older kids during the week. Curiousity got the best of me and I asked why. She said she'd recently started homeschooling her 13 year old. Hmmmm.....I had lots of questions, I'd never considered homeschooling Em, could it really be a possiblitity ?

I dropped Dan off at his class and decided I'd hike the trails around Green Briar and hunt for that elusive garter snake. I didn't find a snake but I did get to spy a very happy little boy with a net on the edge of a bog trying to catch frogs. Dan was having a great time and I suddenly felt happy and sad at the same time. He's been with me nearly every moment for 4 years so I was thrilled that he felt comfortable enough to be without me and sad for the very same reason. I enjoyed the next two hours with nothing to do. Motherhood is funny, there was a time when I knew what I liked, now I always do kid things and don't even think about it...of course we'll go to the playground on Wednesday, we'll always be at the library on Thursday, Saturday T-ball, Church Sunday. With two hours and only myself to please I forget what it was that I used to like to do.

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