Gotta Celebrate the Wins, Too!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm sharing some good news, and a little positivity, with some recent parenting wins. Don't worry, I'll be a grump again next week.
***Sending this one out a day early because Thanksgiving. Travel safe and say hi to your mother for me!***
Pssst! I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone. Okay?
Cool, here goes: I’M NOT THE MOST POSITIVE GUY IN THE WORLD.
I know, it’s shocking. I’ll give you a minute to recover. Go ahead and pre-order my book while you wait.
I tend to see the glass as half-full, or, more accurately, I tend to talk about the emptiness of the glass more than I talk about how much is still in it. Especially online (I’m a little less negative in person, maybe?), and especially when it comes to parenthood.
For reasons I’ve elucidated countless times (e.g., it’s funnier, and more accurate, to highlight the parts that suck), and that everyone who has kids already knows (e.g., it’s exhausting and expensive and frustrating and stressful and thankless and…), I like to complain about parenting. And so I complain about parenting a lot.
BUT NOT TODAY.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving (sorry Canada), and in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, today I’m going to look at the bright side, I’m going to celebrate some wins, and I’m going to give some thanks. Because despite what my Instagram feed might tell you, there are actually a few positive aspects to parenthood.
So here goes nothing…
The Bright Side
The NYC high school process sucks! It’s a gauntlet, it’s stressful as hell, and it still isn’t over. Sorry, sorry; I promised you the the bright side.
The bright side is that as of the beginning of December, it will all be over but the crying. We’ll be done with school visits and virtual open houses and online sessions, we’ll be done meeting with administrators and commiserating with other parents and posting on FB message boards, and we’ll have submitted our final application, complete with our comprehensive 12-school ranking and our son’s additional materials (video auditions, essays, tear-soaked pleas). Soon, it will just be time to wait.
Even better, after a harrowing couple of years trying to help my middle-schooler navigate his ADHD, the social obstacles of the tween years, a school transfer, and an increasingly challenging workload, Mom and Buried’s tireless fighting on his behalf paid off!
After struggles at his former middle school, the amazing IEP staff at his new school has been proactive since day one. They’ve worked with us and more importantly with our son, listening to our concerns while getting to know him for the smart, creative kid he is, and ultimately helped us get the support he needs moving forward. Which as any parent who’s had to deal with the DOE knows is no easy feat. As a result, we now feel he’s much more set up for success with whatever high school he gets into, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the helpful, highly communicative, and empathetic administration and counseling team.
And I couldn’t be more grateful for Mom and Buried, who has been relentless both in her high school research and her fierce advocation for Detective Munch’s future—and present—well-being.
You did it, honey!
The Wins
Okay, so that wasn’t technically a win, but I’ve got to fill out this structure here, okay?
So here’s a literal win: The Hammer won his final flag football game on Sunday! He even scored a two-point conversion! As one of the younger and smaller kids on the team, only in his first year, he didn’t exactly torch the record books, but his enthusiasm never waned, he made a few plays, and he’s already talking about next season. That’s definitely a win!
He’s also made major strides with his reading, the progression of which was hampered by two years of remote schooling. His ability has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few months and on Friday night he read an entire book aloud to me and Mom and Buried, which was insanely cute, thanks in no small part to his hilarious accent. Trust me: you simply haven’t experienced Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho until you’ve heard it read aloud by a prepubescent Brooklynite.
As for Detective Munch, our efforts to get him to step out of his comfort zone and try something new finally paid off when he not only took some photos for the school newspaper but also overcame insane nerves and auditioned for the school play. We couldn’t care less if he gets a part or not, we’re just thrilled that he powered through and followed through and made it through. ADHD sometimes makes taking the easy way out seem like the only option, so not bailing is a huge deal, and now he can have his screen time back, and that’s better for everyone (mostly us).
Some Thanks
Speaking of, I’m very thankful for everyone who already subscribes to my newsletter—especially the ones who pay the five bucks!—and especially to everyone who has pre-ordered my book. Really hoping to convert some of my 300,000 IG followers (I finally hit 300k this week!) to book buyers so I can convince my publisher to let me write another one, and eventually quit my day job WITH PREJUDICE. Thank all of you!
Social Media Round-up
Just one this week. Happy Thanksgiving! (Sorry Canada.)