Mama Bear Eats Assistant Principal

My mind is so overloaded with thoughts going in so many different directions,I can not even think about what to blog. 

Do I talk about my most recent favorite subject my beautiful new granddaughter Audrey Eileen?

 Do I talk about the devastation that Alzheimer's disease has on so many of the families I work with?

 Should I share how many times my Goldendoodle Max gets out of the fence and decides to go down to the creek and get Stinky and muddy and need a bath like.... weekly?

Should I post again about the love I have for my children?  How proud I am of my son, serving his Country? How amazing it is to see my daughter be a mother?

No , today's post is reserved for a very special man in my life.  This man was given to me when he was just a wee little guy of 5 lbs.  He grew not in my belly but in my heart and man my heart is getting big as that love just keeps growing.

You see my little guy really suffered a traumatic experience last week and this mama bear had to go in the woods and do some growling.

It appears that in Art class Cameron was instructed to design a cereal box.  He used a Stencil provided by the teacher  (highlighted because this is important).  This occurred on Thursday.  The teacher saw Cameron's project and simply said "put your name on this give it to me it is not appropriate".  Cameron confused, did so and began a new project.

The following day mid- morning, I am at work, Cameron already well into the school day, I get a phone call from the assistant principal saying that Cameron was suspended (in school suspension) and he was confined in a behavioral management room.  I was confused because A) I was not even notified of the occurrence B.) what did he do?  Wait for it........ He drew   stenciled what they said was a swastika!  he named his cereal Nazi'os.  I was concerned when I first heard this.  Once I got home my concern turned to anger.  Cameron was crying and so upset not knowing what he did.  Never heard of a swastika.  I pulled up an image and asked him if this is what he drew and he said not even close , mommy I didn't draw anything I traced it from the teachers stencil.  Cameron do you know what Nazi means?  "Isn't is a group of scientists?" 

Then mama bears claws started getting sharper when he shows me a letter stated he was given and in school suspension and that We could appeal it and the process to follow.    HOW DOES ONE APPEAL SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED?  This Mama bear will be at school Tuesday when school is back in session.

 So in I went , me and my bear paws and said " I would like to see the Assistant principal" ( he is the one who called me) dialog :

"Do you have and appointment"

"No however I am not leaving until I see him"

In I go (I have prayed about this ALL weekend so between my bear instincts and the Lord on my said I was ready)

Me: First I would like to see the picture that Cameron drew.

Out comes this criminal act-and I was speechless (well only for a millisecond)

Me: You are kidding me right?  You can honestly tell me this is a drawing of a swastika really? It was a wait for it................ a propeller!!! Not kidding a fan blade. 

Principal: well it represents one

Me: You do realize this came from a stencil provided by your idiotic teacher?

He immediately wanted to move past that and focus on the word Nazio's.  When he admitted that he believes Cameron did not know what it meant I challenged him then, why as an Educator he was not told perhaps why it would not be appropriate?  His response NO KIDDING GUYS "regardless of him knowing what it means it is not appropriate."  NO KIDDING MY RESPONSE "Sir and officer of the law stops you and imposes a fine on you but refuses to tell you what you did wrong would you be happy? No response.

Why didn't the teacher notify me- No response

Me: Get the teacher in here, me to her

Why wasn't I notified of this the day it happened?

Her: I had other classes to teach.

  Me: so this was so urgent Cameron had to be suspended immediately- a child never been in trouble before but not urgent enough for you to walk your lazy self up to the office and get one of the 3 numbers for me on file OR my email address?

Got NO where..... Mama bear appealing to have it removed from his file- 1 phone message to the Superintendent of the schools and the Main principal calls me at home tonight would like to meet with me tomorrow to see if she can help with anything!

Tell me ole Educators, how a 10 yr old black child, being raised by a white family would identify with white Supremacists?

I saw pain in my child's face this weekend and that translates into pain in my heart.  I saw the knowledge in his eyes that he knew he was treated different.  I saw an assistant principal and a teacher whom I have never had contact with show obvious shock on their faces when this white women in a suit showed up in their office to defend her black son.

I saw first hand what so many people feel on a daily basis and it made me cry.

I saw the kind, warm heart of my little boy turn a little colder.

This little Nazi lover sweet boy of mine ( who is NOT perfect and does NOT always do everything right.)  Has a good heart.  This is the same boy who had his new bike stolen from school and he asked that night if we could pray for the boys who stole it. 

 I love my children through the good and bad and if discipline is what needs to be done I am right there to dole it out with love.  But if Defense is what they need against the ignorant poor souls who just don't get it  this mama bear will win. I know who is on my side!

 

It's not about the destination

Recently I made a card for a friend and I chose my stamp that said "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey".  Not the first time I have read that, but I really gave thought to what this meant. 

We focus so much on where we are going that we don't savor the moments we are in while getting there.  I understand it, I really do and I get it that in order to get to our desired destination there are things we must do on our journey to get there.  Because of my faith I know the path I need to follow to reach the desired destination.

What I thought as I read that over and over was life itself, and the journey it takes us on.  Sometimes a path we have chosen sometimes it is chosen for us. It is filled with lessons, and joys, heartaches, hardships, special moments and celebrations that ultimately lead us to our destination.

Our journey will no doubt face challenges, but it is in these challenges our courage and strength is tested.  There are obstacles that will be in our path and we will have to overcome these obstacles in order to reach our desired destination.  Sometimes the obstacles will be tough choices, often Blessing that we fail to see at that moment.

Our reactions to the challenges, the heartaches, the joys, the obstacles will all play an important role and the outcome of our journey.

When we get knocked off our path we have two choices we can focus on getting knocked off the path or we can make the best of the situation and know there are lessons to be learned at every turn.

The people we meet on our journey are people we are supposed to meet, they may have a lasting affect on our lives or they may contribute minutely to our lives but their impact may be no less important.

Times stops for no one so it is important to face our journey and all the amazing experiences it has to offer.  Our journey is measured in moments , those moments make up our memories, our experiences, our heartaches, joys, disappointments and those moments turn into a timeline that will ultimately have us reach our destination. No one wishes for hardships, disappointments and troubled times however it is in those times we gain our strength and courage to continue our journey.

Our journey's make us stronger.  Stronger means looking back and seeing the person you have become today,it's looking within yourself and realizing, the person you have become would not exist if it weren't for the things that have happened on your journey.

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Be the master of your own ship.  Plant your feet on new soil.  Take the path less chosen, live for your journey not for your destination and you will find that reaching your destination was made possible because of your personal journey.     .

Master of your own ship. Plant your feet in new soil.

Mallow cups / Memory cups

Ok I am back and hoping I was missed!

I have been basking in the glory of grandmotherhood!  January 17th our beautiful granddaughter Audrey Eileen graced our lives with her presence.  I was Blessed enough to spend 2 weeks with them and now suffer Sweet newborn baby smell withdrawals.

so I am back and have been trying to get caught up at work and home, and decided time once lost is never returned. So here I am ready to move forward with what I want to do and not what I maybe should be doing.  Life though has a way of saying you will do this. That is what life has been telling me the past few sleep deprived, fluid forcer, pill pushing, mess cleaner upper comforting mama I have had to  wanted to be the past few days for Cameron.  He is on the mend tonight and after bleaching nearly everything he has come in contact with, washing all of our bedding twice! and carrying the can of Lysol as though it was my new best friend I am hoping I have escaped that nasty germ!

So here I am doing what I want to do now.

Today I stopped at the store to stock up on chicken noodle soup, ginger ale and whatever else one would need when one really wants nothing.  I though the sure way to ward off this thing from entering my system is to go and buy everything I may need IF I get it.  so I am in the store and ready to check out, and I see it, my weakness, you know the one that we all have that we can NEVER say no to.  The one that you justify the need for.  Even when you are on the strictest diet, or you have been killing working yourself at the gym so that you will still fit in all your clothes for the next season.  All that goes out the window no importance to any of it when I see the mouth watering MALLOW CUPS! 

I grab those babies up and sure enough the first thing I do is justify why I have  to have them.  " I have been cleaning up unmentionables from a sick child, and practically sterilizing my house for the past 3 days, and running low on sleep because like babies when they are ready to be born , kids they want to be sick in the middle of the night.  And then the ultimate stupid brilliant justification, I may get this bug and then I will lose whatever these things will make me gain anyway, in the cart you go!

Why do we do that? Did I really need to justify wanting those so bad? No I didn't.  Did I really want them for the delicious taste? Well yes I did but I got in the car and before I turned the ignition I was unwrapping my treat and as I did so many childhood memories flooded my mind just over these mallow cups.

We would collect all the little cards that came in them until we had enough to send away for a whole box of these gooey, chocolaty marshmallow treats.  We did this together and the excitement that ran through us when that case arrived in the mail, I can still feel today when I see them on the shelf in the store. I saw the faces of my brother and sister as we ate them, and I realized I was not just eating a sweet treat I was filling myself with warm memories and people that stuff there is good for you!  Next time I hunt for spot mallow cups on the store shelf I will reach for them and fill myself with warm thoughts and not guilt or regret.