Shabbat in review

Friday morning began with a meeting at DB’s school - A meeting with the principal to discuss DB’s moving back up to 10th grade. If DB is ready for it, he’s got a lot of work to catch up on. We know he can do it, but it will be a challenge. Understandably, DB is upset at the school for making him think that it would be easy for him to move up when he was ready. Now they are telling him that they will be watching him and judging his every move. Not a great way to keep a positive taste in his mouth. We will continue to try to keep it positive for him and hope it will all work out in the end.

One-minute digression: Parenting is hard! We want what is best for our children and try to do our best by making decisions we hope will be the right ones for them. Sometimes we make mistakes. (I'm not saying that we necessarily made a mistake here, but only that we do indeed sometimes make mistakes.) But we still want what’s best.
This whole school experience with DB has been hard on us too. I feel for him. We have tried to make the right decisions for him until now, and now he has begun to make decisions too. He’s a good boy. He does not want to disappoint us. Another day goes by and something else happens. We just want the best…

5 New England girls and 3 of MB’s school friends, all sleeping and eating here. Room enough for everyone, and plenty of food. My challah came out hard and heavy, though. Not sure why??

I fell asleep with Ely Friday night, before cleaning up. I awoke at 12 – kitchen mostly cleaned up (thank you to my clean-up angels!) - everyone home and in bed, but DB. His Friday night curfew is usually 12. I sat on the couch and waited for him to walk through the door. I awoke Ari at 1:00 am to ask if he had extended curfew. He told me he gave DB until 12:30. At that moment DB walked in the door. We went through the old, “I-am-the-parent, you-are-the-child. I-make-the-rules, you-don’t” thing again. He argued that I was not fair, blah-blah-blah, gave him a hug, and we both went to sleep.

It rained all night. But he was up and in shul early. I awoke with a killer headache. It was cold and rainy, thundering and lightning. So I stayed in.

Had a great lunch. Deep conversation about growth and change and brainwashing.

Ari and I and DB fell asleep on the couches talking about DB’s “promotion”. We used the analogy of an employee going to his boss and asking for a raise. When an employee does that he has to show that he is serious. He has to show up to work on time. He has to show that he is serious, pay attention, work diligently, and not try to leave work early.
I thought the analogy worked perfectly and I think DB got it.

Ely went to a friend’s house; MB and friends were out and NED was hanging with the big girls. So it was quiet in the house. We all woke up as Ari and DB left for maariv (evening service).

Shabbat was over.

Another week gone.

Another week ahead. The unknowns.

Ari is off to the states tonight. Flying right into a major snowstorm. Please G-d, he should get there safely.

I will try to sleep more this week.

Shavuah Tov, have a good week.


P.S. Happy Birthday to Ari's 91 year old grandmother and my sister-in-law!