I'm not a Starbucks Toting Mama
Here we are, five weeks left of the school year. Kicking butt and taking names. No compliance issues at home, at school, or in therapy.
It's Teacher Appreciation Week. How do you thank the people who have given so much to help your child succeed?
Starbucks.
The key to any teacher's heart.
So this morning, I made a brilliant plan. I would get up early, head to Starbucks, and fill frilly drink orders for those teachers who need any extra energy they can get.
Starbucks drinks are so pretty- the frothy milk, the whipped cream, the signature white cup that somehow just magically feels good to hold.
Hunter hadn't come downstairs before I left, but I wasn't too concerned...we had an extra busy weekend (post to follow), late bedtimes, and storms in the area may have woken him in the middle of the night. So when Peter went up to wake him, he found him with his door closed, light on, playing his tablet. I didn't hear him get up and find it, but somehow, he snuck back upstairs at some point early this morning.
He had an easy time getting ready for school, and I waited in the parking lot as I saw our other car pull up. Paige wanted to help me with the drinks, which is why I went early in the morning, so when she saw me, she hesitated..which made Hunter hesitate...
so I waved her on and motioned for her to go in and come back out, but when Hunter got to the door of the gym, he ran right back out and away from the school. The teacher on duty chased him, and as I stood there with trays full of pretty drinks, I watched him start to hit her.
I had to make a quick decision- if I intervened, it would change the morning.
If I stood there and watched the situation unfold, it could get out of hand and there wasn't another adult out there to assist.
As I watched in horror, as this boy who hasn't had non-compliant behaviors in the morning since November, I heard the fifth graders on safety patrol chatting with one another.
"Why did that boy run?"
"Look, he's hitting Ms. B!"
"He is kicking the wall!"
And they all just stood and stared.
As did the car loop, as it came to a standstill.
So I didn't have a choice- I once again motioned a disappointed Paige into the gym, and I set those drinks in the middle of the parking lot as I ran to remedy the situation.
He told me that he had left at 7:33 AM instead of 7:30AM and everyone was leaving (the kids do "Walking Wednesday" in the gym). He had missed the start of the walk and was flustered.
When the Assistant Principal came out to take over the situation, I left and finished my coffee delivery.
There were too many variables to figure out what truly set Hunter off this morning. The sleep, the routine, the time, the weather, the clothing...it's always a guessing game.
However, one thing was reinforced that I already knew-
I can't ever be without my hands.
I switched to a sling purse when things were at an all-time low. I used to put Peyton in a stroller ALWAYS in case I had to chase my eloping son. I always put my phone and my keys in my pockets first when exiting the car.
And I don't carry Starbucks in one hand.
I was emotional leaving school this morning. I could hear him screaming in the hallway, and I had to ask a friend to deliver the drinks so he wouldn't see me in the building.
God doesn't will us to have hard days in the midst of recovery-
but he does remind us once in awhile that we still have to fight.
We still have to adjust.
And we still have to remember that first and foremost, we are special needs parents.
We can't do it all. I want to constantly show those who help our family that we are so very thankful for their support-
but I have to remember that just a smile and a simple, heartfelt thank you might go even further than a fancy drink in a white cup.
Recovery has taught us unimaginable gratitude-
and even though the lessons attached with this journey might seem overwhelming and difficult,
they truly make us stronger in the end.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough- Oprah said,
"No gesture is too small when we do it with gratitude."
It's Teacher Appreciation Week. How do you thank the people who have given so much to help your child succeed?
Starbucks.
The key to any teacher's heart.
So this morning, I made a brilliant plan. I would get up early, head to Starbucks, and fill frilly drink orders for those teachers who need any extra energy they can get.
Starbucks drinks are so pretty- the frothy milk, the whipped cream, the signature white cup that somehow just magically feels good to hold.
Hunter hadn't come downstairs before I left, but I wasn't too concerned...we had an extra busy weekend (post to follow), late bedtimes, and storms in the area may have woken him in the middle of the night. So when Peter went up to wake him, he found him with his door closed, light on, playing his tablet. I didn't hear him get up and find it, but somehow, he snuck back upstairs at some point early this morning.
He had an easy time getting ready for school, and I waited in the parking lot as I saw our other car pull up. Paige wanted to help me with the drinks, which is why I went early in the morning, so when she saw me, she hesitated..which made Hunter hesitate...
so I waved her on and motioned for her to go in and come back out, but when Hunter got to the door of the gym, he ran right back out and away from the school. The teacher on duty chased him, and as I stood there with trays full of pretty drinks, I watched him start to hit her.
I had to make a quick decision- if I intervened, it would change the morning.
If I stood there and watched the situation unfold, it could get out of hand and there wasn't another adult out there to assist.
As I watched in horror, as this boy who hasn't had non-compliant behaviors in the morning since November, I heard the fifth graders on safety patrol chatting with one another.
"Why did that boy run?"
"Look, he's hitting Ms. B!"
"He is kicking the wall!"
And they all just stood and stared.
As did the car loop, as it came to a standstill.
So I didn't have a choice- I once again motioned a disappointed Paige into the gym, and I set those drinks in the middle of the parking lot as I ran to remedy the situation.
He told me that he had left at 7:33 AM instead of 7:30AM and everyone was leaving (the kids do "Walking Wednesday" in the gym). He had missed the start of the walk and was flustered.
When the Assistant Principal came out to take over the situation, I left and finished my coffee delivery.
There were too many variables to figure out what truly set Hunter off this morning. The sleep, the routine, the time, the weather, the clothing...it's always a guessing game.
However, one thing was reinforced that I already knew-
I can't ever be without my hands.
I switched to a sling purse when things were at an all-time low. I used to put Peyton in a stroller ALWAYS in case I had to chase my eloping son. I always put my phone and my keys in my pockets first when exiting the car.
And I don't carry Starbucks in one hand.
I was emotional leaving school this morning. I could hear him screaming in the hallway, and I had to ask a friend to deliver the drinks so he wouldn't see me in the building.
God doesn't will us to have hard days in the midst of recovery-
but he does remind us once in awhile that we still have to fight.
We still have to adjust.
And we still have to remember that first and foremost, we are special needs parents.
We can't do it all. I want to constantly show those who help our family that we are so very thankful for their support-
but I have to remember that just a smile and a simple, heartfelt thank you might go even further than a fancy drink in a white cup.
Recovery has taught us unimaginable gratitude-
and even though the lessons attached with this journey might seem overwhelming and difficult,
they truly make us stronger in the end.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough- Oprah said,
"No gesture is too small when we do it with gratitude."
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