Cranky

Am I the only parent who struggles so much just to keep her children at school?  This has been an ongoing problem for me since Emily started high school.  I told them they could have tomorrow off as it's the last day of term and nothing much happens, but then Josh asked to stay home today as most of his year are doing work experience (according to him anyway) and he isn't because he didn't return the permission note which I never saw or knew anything about.  Emily is failing art, of all subjects because she didn't hand an assignment in, claiming she didn't understand what was required.  Why she won't just have a dialogue with her teachers is beyond me, and she's too old for me to be racing up there every five minutes to figure all this out.  She did her geography assignment yesterday and did a good job apart from one question that I couldn't find an answer to myself, even with a thorough net search.  Her Family and Community studies assignment is totally beyond comprehension to both of us, it makes no sense at all and is overdue.  The regular teacher for this subject is away on long service leave or something.  I am going to have to go up there and try to get someone to explain the assignment to both of us next term if it's not too late, and the art assignment still has to be handed in even though she won't get a mark for it now, but at least it won't affect her HSC, if she even gets that far.  She wouldn't get up this morning and I told her that was it, I wasn't helping her anymore, no more driving her everywhere, no more money, nothing.  Is it too much to ask them just to go to bloody school?
And last night I got a call out of the blue from my eldest daughter Alison, telling me my second girl, Amanda is pregnant.  This news is bittersweet as I am estranged from Mandy, her choice, no idea why and also she is single and the new baby's father is out of work and they are living in squalor.  Mandy is terrible in the house, she lives like a pig.  We have tried to help her in the past, lots of people have.  Ali told me they had an argument because  Ali told her she won't be bringing her kids to Mandy's place anymore because it's dangerous.  The old house Mandy and Jake are living in is falling down apparently, a possum fell through the ceiling and landed on seven year old Jake, and Ali talked of maggots and all kinds of other hazards.  I can't believe she's going to bring a baby into that environment.  She was always a good mother to Jake when he was a baby, he was always clean and loved and well fed, but I'm secretly glad his father has joint custody of him and Jake spends a lot of time with his dad and his new family.  I am scared for this new grandchild of mine, but not a lot I can do about it.
Ali sent me some photos of her kids, dear little Harvey, and her almost one year old, Jenna, who I have only seen once.  I don't understand this hot and cold thing that goes on with Alison, it's hard on Harvey, with whom I was forming a bond, and it's hard on us as well.  I just have to roll with it I guess and hope I can be in the lives of my grandkids in whatever form we can manage. And the funny thing is that Amanda's due date is October 8th, a day before both her and my birthdays.  She was born on my 21st, wouldn't it be amazing if this little one shared our birthdays with us?

Harvey is getting so tall, and he has big feet like his mummy and his Granny!

Little Jenna having her first ride on a train.  She is a lot like Alison as a baby.

 

I went down and got the doings for both a Thai Beef Salad, and also a lamb curry, can't decide what to have tonight, probably the salad, I will go out and marinate the rib eye steak that I bought, and then later if I don't feel like cooking it we can order pizza and I'll do it tomorrow.

Oh and Emily eventually got up and dressed for school and I dropped her off, better late than never.  I expect she will find her way home once she has handed in the Geography assignment, but at least she did that much.  And Josh got up and dressed and went for a walk so it's not all bad. 

I'm going to colour my hair and hope nobody starts asking me for Big Macs (it goes orange sometimes when I do the blonde thing).  Watch this space.