Giving Back

It's been too long since I did any volunteering. I don't want to come off as selfish, but I just typically don't have time. What little time I do have, I try to spend with my five boys, or hopefully not too neglected wife. Today, I got to experience the joy that comes from giving back. Again, I sound selfish because it was about me. Well maybe I am selfish. But it felt good. I helped underprivileged kids get presents; kids who will show genuine appreciation for a gift, rather than wonder why they didn't get something better.

I was humbled today as I saw a mother come in with her children. She had them give gifts to the needy. These kids picked out what they wanted the most this year, then gave those presents to the needy. How amazing! The world needs more people like that mother. And it looks as though it may just get several as she had four little ones with her!

Coming home afterwards, to the comforts that I enjoy, I realized how truly lucky I am. I have a wife who loves me, and works incredibly hard to support our little den. My children, although not always perfect little angels, are really sweet and kind-hearted (surely they didn't get that from me!).

Please, take a minute this holiday season to give back. Your giving can be in the form of food, clothing, money, or time. Whatever you can spare will certainly be put to good use by those less fortunate. It will not only help them, but doing so will give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Have a blessed Christmas season.

I remember going to Christmas parties at my mom's work as a kid. It was dreadful. Having everyone comment on how handsome I was, how much I'd grown... "Who the hell were these phonies" I would think. I especially hated the whole meeting Santa thing, as I learned the truth about the fat man from an early age. Yet every year I went. And every year I somehow managed to persevere in spite of these horrific circumstances.

Now it's my turn to inflict the same torture upon my children that was so harshly done to me. Though, I really only tell my older ones to take a picture alongside that jolly fat man for the sake of the Christmas picture. And if I do say so myself, they really ARE handsome! And they really ARE getting big. Aww.... I can't wait to torture them again next year!

Mourning a tragic loss, Next Semester, and Taking a Break

So I took the weekend to mourn the loss of my "perfect" GPA. Physics was my undoing. Physics is difficult for me. Could I have studied more? Yes. Should I have? Yes. But all in all, I'm happy. I got a B. It's respectable. Could have easily been worse. It's just that I don't like physics. It's awful. It's one awful word problem after awful word problem. Mundane. I'd rather have a root canal than study for it. The concepts I think are ingrained in my brain. At this point, it's a matter of putting my understanding into practice, and delivering the correct answer. Next semester I will work harder to get an A in Physics 2.

So my next semester's schedule is just about set. I am signed up for Physics 2, Organic Chemistry 2, Neurobiology, and I will soon be signed up for Psychology Research Methods. My 4 year University just needs a copy of my transcript showing that I took Statistics this semester, since it's a prerequisite. I also filled out the application for admissions into another local Community College. On Monday I will start the process of having my previous transcripts sent to them so I can do the Texas Fresh Start program. I'm not sure what class I am going to take at this point, but I'm thinking maybe either First Aid and Safety, or a beginning Nutrition class. Both are delivered online, so I wouldn't actually have to physically attend class.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to Christmas break. I plan on playing games with the kids, cleaning my sadly neglected house, and spending some much needed quality time with my wife. I'm thinking a night out on the town with a nice dinner, followed by a hotel room in the city. Woohoo! Party rockers in the house tonight! Fun is more than overdue.

Am I failing my child?

So is it wrong to want to take out a hit on a third grader? Probably. There's this kid picking on mine at school. My boy is big for his age, and would be able to handle himself in a situation with kids his own age, but unfortunately, this kid is 3 years his elder. My boy has skipped 2 grades and is in third grade, though he just turned 7. What I wanted to do after attempting to console my distraught son, was to go up to the school and scare the bully pants off the other kid. Or tell his brother to "take care of it." My wife said that is not the answer. So I defer. Instead, I went to the school to inform the teacher. While waiting to speak with her, the principal saw me and we chatted about the situation. She was great and started to put my mind at ease. She is very familiar with my son and the situation, except she is not on the front lines. The heat of the battle. When I spoke with my son's teacher, she gave me the whole, "boys will be boys" attitude. I wanted to shake her.

Someone is messing with my child. Those who do not have children will not understand the intensity of emotion this evokes. The teacher has a laissez-faire attitude about it. That's infuriating. What should I do? Call the hit? Wife said no. Call an outside hit with the "Godfather" of the third grade in exchange for 2 juice boxes and a box of cookies? I bet the wife would be against that as well. I don't want to get pounded myself so I listen to her. But, what am I to do?

Another problem is he has the ability to integrate a year's worth of curriculum in approximately four or five months. I've searched and searched for a better place to put him. We had decided on this charter school he is in now for smaller class size, as well as the strength of the curriculum. But it doesn't seem to be working. I cannot believe there are not schools in this area that can accommodate someone like my child. There are all sorts of schools for children who need more attention, ie those with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and the like; there are no schools for those who need more help because they are far and away more intelligent than the average child. So what do I do? I feel like I am failing my boy....