As the girls get older, I'm starting to realize (first-hand) all of the nasty rumors I've heard other parents talk about as their children embark on the preteen years. Don't get me wrong, Katie Jo and Addi are good girls. Yes, we have our moments just like every other family, but all in all, they are well-behaved, easy going young ladies. That's why the incident I'm about to share kind of hurt my feelings, at first. Then, I decided to find the humor in it. Laughing at the situation has made it much more tolerable!
One afternoon a few weeks ago, I had the unusual privilege of picking up the girls after school. This was a treat for me because it very rarely happens - and if it does, I usually have to pick them up, drop them at our house, and then rush back to work. However, this particular day, I had the rest of the afternoon to fulfill my mom duty. After picking up Addi, I made my way over to Katie Jo's school. Since she's my first middle school-er, I'm not completely savvy on the proper middle school mom expectations. Oh, and by "expectations", I mean what SHE expects of me......which appears to be anything as long as I stay a safe distance away. Ha!
Up to this point, I had been in Katie Jo's school many, many times on school business. However, I was unfamiliar with the lay-out in terms of where her locker was, where her classes were located, etc. So, I simply asked her to walk in the building with me and show me her locker. That conversation went something like this.....
Me: Let's go in. I'd like to see your locker.
KJ: Why? It's just like every other locker. You know.....you've seen one locker, you've seen them all!
Me: Well, I'd just like to see where it is, and you mentioned wanting a shelf, so I'd like to take a look so I can figure out what type of shelf you need.
KJ: OK, mom. But we HAVE to hurry! We are not supposed to go back in the building after school.
Me: I understand, but I bet if I'm walking with you, they'll know you're not just messing around in the halls.
KJ: Mom, I'll get in trouble!
Me: Katie Jo, really, I've got you covered on this one. I promise you.....you will not get in trouble.
Katie Jo finally conceded and allowed me to enter the building. She walked so fast that someone might have mistaken her for being in some sort of hurry. It didn't take long for me to pick-up on her self-inflicted frenzy. However, I was feeling just ornery enough to take full advantage of the opportunity. Plus, I was relatively certain that this would be the last time I would ever be granted permission to enter the building again. So, I took my sweet time. I savored every second. I spoke to absolutely everyone we came upon - whether I knew them or not. I tried to talk to Katie Jo - only to have her flip her head around (from 6-8 feet ahead of me) and tell me to hurry.
In the end, I honestly don't know that I ever saw her locker. She was so busy trying not to be seen with me - and I was so busy trying to make her be seen with me - that I think we both forgot about the locker. If she did happen to point it out to me as she was bolting past it, I didn't realize it. I know for a fact that I never got the opportunity to check out the shelf situation.
Naturally, I am happy, excited, and proud of the young lady Katie Jo is becoming. However, there is a huge part of my heart and soul that grieves at the fact that she used to love to show me her locker, her desk, her pencil box, her lunch ticket, etc.
Oh how I'd love to go back.
