Pay attention or Were you listening to what I just said?!

I asked Randy to go to Sam’s parent/teacher conferences instead of me.

The way I pictured it going if I had attended:

Teacher: “Sam is doing well in ——- and ——–, but he is struggling in ——-.”

Me: “Struggling?! I’ll give YOU a struggle! Just let me take off my earrings…”

Having some insight about my instinct to fight anyone who doesn’t love everything about my kids, I asked Randy to go.

Randy’s teacher said that Sams vocabulary was outstanding, but he has difficulty listening and following directions.

I wish I had a dollar for every time a person asked me, “Are you listening?!” Or “Were you listening?!” Or “Did you follow thedirections?” Or “What the hell is wrong with you?!  Or “I just explained that.” Or “Did you hear a  word I just said?”

Also, the phrase: “Pay Attention” means this to me “Run away and Hide” because someone’s anger coming my way. If I couldn’t physically get away, I could create a space for myself inside.

Some ways to do this: draw during class, keep a book on your lap until someone takes it away, look forward to tests.

Ah, tests. A peaceful time when you read the questions, check the boxes, and then zonk out for a half hour until everyone is finished.

I also liked guest speakers. In my elementary school, foreign exchange students would come from the high school and teach us about the places they came from. For all the listening I didn’t do in my day-to-day, I can still remember those stories today.