Some days…

Some days, in this whole parenting teens business, I have moments where I really appreciate my real mom, and what she had to go through. And by that, I mean in raising my sister, because I was the perfect child and teenager, and never did anything wrong.

Stop laughing.

Anyway – AS I was SAYING.. the number one thing parenting has taught me is that my mom was a lot smarter, and a lot more patient than I thought at the time. She never could have taught me that lesson, but she delights in watching my kids do it.

Take today for example. You see, Peppermist has decided to stay in the band for another year for one reason only – Spring Break Band Trip. They’ll be going to Florida to participate in a festival, and she’s been looking forward to it. We found out about the trip at the end of last year, and were told we would get more information the first week of school.

What we got was a demand for the first payment, in a week.

…you don’t EVEN want to know my reaction to that. Or when I asked if we could make a double payment in October after dividends (which is paying for the trip) get here, and was very snootily told “Just take it from your savings or put it on your credit card.” Way to assume I have either, bitch. Sheesh. (I don’t. Heh.)

I manged to scrape it together (don’t ask, and mom, don’t worry!) and sent it in an envelope with her to school yesterday, knowing it was due today and we were in the clear until October’s payment.

Fast forward to this morning – Peppermist is sick with an earache so bad it makes her cry, so after I was done laughing at her, (…what?) I let her stay home. She called her BFF when school is over, and asked her to get the payment to the office. The payment she left in her locker yesterday, instead of turning it in like she was told. The payment that now is officially ‘late’ as the office doesn’t accept such things after 5th period. The payment which now has me so irritated I could probably kick her ass all the way to Florida with one swift punt to the britches. Yeah. THAT payment.

She enticed her BFF to try anyway, and I grabbed the house phone and called the office, and begged the secretary to please make an exception as Peppermist wasn’t at school today. Then, her BFF didn’t answer her phone or call to let us know it was accepted. So what did I have to do? Get into the car, take Peppermist to school, so that she could check at the office to make sure that the payment was made, and she was in the clear.

It’s days like this that make me appreciate my mom, and all the crap my sister we put her through: the numerous trips to school and back, multiple times a day, sometimes, for various reasons, the trips that cash was scraped up for, and even her exasperated look which I’m well on my way to perfecting myself.

So, in case I haven’t said it lately? Thanks, mom. You rock.

(…can I have a ride to the mall?)

(J/K)