There are moments that really make it all seem like we won the parenting lottery.
These past couple of weeks have been like that.
I wrote this on Facebook, and then shared to LinkedIn, a couple of days ago, with the following photo:
“Graduation is Friday, and I shared the following on other social media:
“I am not ready.
Liam should be the little two year old napping beside me, with Porter at Funfield for pre-K for the day.
I should have to go pick him up from Mrs. Theresa’s (which is mostly what we called Funfield at home) on Friday afternoon.
And I should have to wake him up from his nap when I get there, because he was always the last one to wake up, when I got there to pick him up.
Or he should be getting ready to have his end-of-year party in Mrs. Redford’s Kindergarten class, where she still has to limit the number of hugs he asks for in a day or else he would be in her arms all. day. long.
Or he should be a third grader at Carrollton Elementary School, in Mrs. Carter’s class.
Or a fourth grader in Mrs. George’s class, helping her out with her technology issues as they crop up.
Or in fifth grade, when he got released from his neurosurgeon for the Chiari Malformation that is highly unlikely to ever cause him problems, with Dr. Boydston asking him about baseball and telling him as we said goodbye to “have a nice life,” with a smile of satisfaction that he would never require follow-up for that particular condition he’d followed Liam for since he was two years’ old. I wonder how often he gets to release patients forever like that.
Or learning trombone in fifth and sixth and seventh and eighth grades with Ms. Menendez in junior high.
Or maybe, just maybe, we should be having the conversation at the end of the year in tenth grade when he is ready to start IB in the Fall.
I am not ready.
But, here we are.”
Liam is ready, the week is full of IB tests clear up through Friday. Family arrives today, Grinnell new student checklists online have started. I had my first sob-fest yesterday, processing the photos from this session. The graduation gown is hanging to release wrinkles, complete with stoles and cords and medals (he received more after I took the shown photo). I am teary even as I write this.
Liam is ready.
Parenthood is not for the faint of heart. ❤️”
The following was posted as a press release from Carrollton City Schools:
CARROLLTON, GA — Three Carrollton High School seniors were recognized on May 4 at Military, Academic, and Educator Signing Day to celebrate their accomplishments of receiving significant academic scholarships to their respective schools.
Jaira Garcia Cruz received scholarships totaling $321,868 to support her education at Emory University; Venkata Koppireddy received the Presidential Scholarship to Mercer University as well as community-backed scholarships worth $183,887; and Liam Price was awarded Grinnell College’s Founders’ Scholarship and Grinnell Choice Scholarship in addition to granted funds totaling $337,352.
CHS Principal Dr. Ian Lyle congratulated the students on their accomplishments.
“I am proud of these students for pursuing their academic goals and receiving substantial scholarship funds to support their educational pursuits,” said Lyle. “Each has worked hard throughout their time at Carrollton High School, and we look forward to celebrating their continued success.”
Carrollton High School seniors were recognized on May 4 for receiving significant academic scholarships. Pictured from left are CHS seniors Liam Price, Jaira Garcia Cruz, and Venkata Koppireddy.
To say I am proud of Liam is an understatement. There are no words.
The thing is, we have made clear to him: Grinnell is a phenomenal opportunity. However, his mental health comes first, and home is always here. We lived in Grinnell in 2006 and know exactly what the pressure can be like for students at Grinnell– I remember being very well told by local officials to look in places like basements and garages in that tragic season. And while we want him to go and explore the world and see exactly what he can do, home and Georgia schools are always an option.
I am so very, very, proud of and for Liam.
And Liam isn’t the only one setting bars around here.
Last night, Oliver nailed the lead part of Nick Bottom in Carrollton Middle School’s spring production of “Something Rotten, Jr.”
It was so fun. Oliver has refused to practice at home, and the only reason I saw the show before last night was because of the following story:
Oliver has had abdominal migraines for years. They are beginning to transition to regular migraines, and he rarely has stomach aches or vomiting anymore.
Sunday morning, though, brought on another abdominal migraine episode.
We knew it wasn’t a virus, but he doesn’t really have rescue medication yet from his neurologist beyond us just keeping stock of Zofran on hand in copious amounts. It happened textbook just like all his other episodes.
So, we stayed home on Sunday from church, after he threw up.
And, he made it through Mother’s Day late lunch/ early dinner with my parents at Olive Garden, but by Monday morning, he was in rough shape again.
Jared took him to school but they had to bypass school for Jared’s office, where Oliver crawled under someone’s desk for about an hour and a half.
Jared got him to school about 9:30 AM Monday morning, but got a text from the school nurse about 11:15 AM.
Jared brought him home, got him settled in bed, and we didn’t know if he would make it to dress rehearsal at 4 PM or not.
But, he came out at 1:20 PM or so and said he had stage rehearsal before dress rehearsal at 2, and he wanted to go.
So, we got him in the car, and with less than 5 minutes to the school, less than a mile from the school, I pulled out the travel vomit bag I had from a hospital visit in my middle seat console. And sure enough, he managed to throw up, and aim perfectly for the bag– not getting the car, not getting his clothes. He was finishing up vomiting as we pulled into the school parking lot.
We threw the bag away and wiped his chin and he went inside, straight onto the stage.
And proceeded to go through 4 hours of rehearsal.
And by yesterday morning, show day, he was absolutely fine and brought a magic energy to the stage last night.
I would not have asked him to power through that at all. We were prepared to tell the drama teacher that he just couldn’t do it. I didn’t think he would make it to the rehearsals on Monday.
But he did.
And I don’t quite know where my children get their drive from.
Porter is taking two classes, including one of his first cognitive science classes, this summer online at UGA while working maintenance for the school system. He is actively looking out for other internship opportunities for future seasons.
He is excelling at UGA, and I’m pretty sure he takes for granted that philosophy and cognitive science are the hard majors they are.
As I said, we won the parenting lottery. And I have zero idea how.
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