Oh, what a relaxing weekend. The boys were with their father, I went to a Broadway show, shopped, went to a movie, did whatever I pleased. I confess, I do miss them when they leave, however, after a few hours of uninterrupted peace, I begin to unwind, stop, breathe, think about that oft-neglected person: Me.
However, like a good Honeymoon, (I hear some are); all good things come to an end. As I was driving home from the mall on Sunday, I get the frantic call from my teenager: HELP! I need to built a catapult for physics tomorrow.
A WHAT?
A catapult. This is a constant dilemma around this house: huge projects started late into the night before. I mean, am I the only mother in Home Depot at 10 pm on occasion buying a handle for an Egyptian War Hatchet? Perhaps. Anyway, we’ve actually progressed because my son, no kidding, actually called the local hobby shop to ask about catapult making supplies. So he tells me I MUST pick them up by 5. Of course, I am on the highway and it’s approximately 4:45.
This is when all the internal parental conflicts occur: The “right” thing, of course, would be to tell him he waited too long and insist he go to physics without the catapult and have him face the consequences. Teach him an important lesson. Of course, he is a junior in high school and it is so ingrained in my maternal head that this year will make or break his entire future that I have approximately fifteen minutes to weigh teaching him a lesson against ruining his entire life…. So of course, I speed up and head off to the hobby shop.
The whole ordeal, busting in the door right at 5, having to figure out what he needs, etc., is stressful and infuriating but, $50 later, off I go with catapult making materials and a directions sheet.
Now, I have to say here that being the mother of boys, manual projects, from collages, posters, freaking dioramas, are just not things at which most boys excel. My boys are brilliant, of course, and do their homework and such by themselves, but I must confess that I myself have done a diorama or two just because I truly feel that if my children grow to be adults deficient in collage making, I can’t sweat that. I honestly think I can live with it.
So, an hour after I return home, the catapult materials are spread all over the desk, he’s cursing, swearing, can’t get anything to fit, has the wood glue everywhere, is making an increasingly huge mess and finally I kick him out and build the thing myself. Of course, I am not proud of this but I know the majority of kids just buy such things from students who had made them in year’s past. So, whatever….. Once built, he must adjust the tension and actually make the thing work, so all I REALLY did was build the foundation. Give me a break! We all know it was destined to happen this way.
The next day, so he bounds in from school saying “his” catapult worked just fine and he aced the project. I feel a certain sense of pride. Another project well executed.
Next up: A mousetrap car. Wonder how I will built that??
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6 comments:
WOW!! I'll have to give you credit, Amy...talk about helping your son w/ his physics project the night before its due!!
Which Broadway show did you go see over the weekend? :)
Probably not doing your son any favors in the long run.
Maybe not, but when push comes to shove, a good parent will do anything for their child to make sure things work out and that includes helping them with a school project that's pretty darn complex! Something similar happened to me when I was in 4th grade (eons ago it seems!)when I misunderstood the project but I was able to pull through w/ the help of my own mom....many parents will go through this at least once in the child's school career, believe me!
I don't know a single parent, even one with the most incredibly academic students, who hasn't done a collage, built something, fudged a service hour worksheet, etc., on rare occasions. In fact, often it's those students with the best grades who are cheating--with our without the help of their parents.
Take this from someone intensely involved in the school. And from someone who has spent her life immersed in her children's education. With the exception of a diorama or a catapult, my kids have done it on their own.
For example, my younger son was up late last night composing music on a composition website. He's incredibly gifted in that way--it was an incredible piece. But you should have seen the catastrophe of building an Egyptian spear last week. Was it horrible that I ended up helping him cut the balsa wood spearhead? Maybe so. But who cares? He still came up with the idea and did the research, etc. (Got a 100 on that one, too)
Gosh, so sensitive, but the kids do an event in seventh grade where they recreate the Silk Road trading route. I know many moms at the sewing machines creating costumes and many dads there on the day of set up with their drills--meantime the kids were out tossing footballs, etc. Maybe Anonymous has no children or doesn't get involved in the day to day drudgery of making sure the kids stay on task--if I have to lend a helping hand where necessary, so be it.
Anonymous's kid was Valedictorian. Keeping the kid on task is one thing, doing the work is another. A good parent WILL do anything for their child, and what's more important than teaching them responsibility and self-reliance?
Go, girl! I had no idea could work a PHYSICS project! I'm impressed!
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