Friday, May 20, 2005

Maternal Musings

Today my handsome son graduated from kindergarten. He looked so grown up and serious. It was actually quite hilarious since just that morning I was watching him running around in his underwear looking like Gollum. Of course I did get teary when I saw him walking up the aisle...THAT'S MY BABY MANNNNNN. As it turns out, he got the bronze award for academic achievement this year and he's reading on a second grade level. GO TY!! I completely forgot where I was and went into Bonquiesha mode when I heard my child's name called. Of course I know that my kids are bright, but to hear it recognized does something to a mom. Ah well, my parents embarrassed me with their spontaneous displays of pride too.

Ty had a really rough time this year. Besides the fact that he's already a typical boy, he's only seen his father about 6 times since July of last year and he developed this funky skin condition called lichen nitidus that is really a pain in the ass. He's got these fine bumps all over his body and they particularly concentrate in areas where the skin has been broken by cuts, scabs, etc. He's a six year old boy, so you do the math on that. I don't even have to go there on how accepting six year old kids are of things they don't understand. To say the least, he got picked on a lot.

I could see how it hurt him because he's normally a very sociable, happy go lucky kid. After the fourth busted lip and the second ripped shirt, telling him to walk away and tell the teacher was really getting old. I found myself one morning on the way to school telling him "If one of those punks grab you up, I don't even want you to ask questions. You jump on that little bastard and talk later - AFTER the teacher has pried you off his ass." Eh, some kids get Wheaties in the morning . . . mine get sparring instructions. Whatever. I discovered that it's really hard to convince a nice kid to punch the shit out of somebody that won't leave them alone.

He goes to a ghetto ass public school and EVERYBODY there is related to somebody else. Occasionally, that led to him having to fight a couple of kids at once. There were occasions that I found it funny (I've never professed perfection). I got a call from the school one day related to his behavior. It seems that Tyson had taken off his belt and was swinging it at some boys that day. I make it a practice to talk to him about the calls before I react. The story went this way:

I was in the the cafeteria and Ghetto Name Boy #1 was messing with me and I hit him. When I went outside, Ghetto Name Boy #1 got his cousin Ghetto Name Boy #2 and they were both pushing me at the water fountain and when I went to go tell, they blocked my way. So I took of my belt and got to swinging.

I almost chewed off my tongue trying not to laugh. He had a few other incidents this past school year, but constant communication with his teacher and principal has paid off and he has made great strides. He is still a work in progress because he is quite active, but this year, he's going to play sports, so hopefully that will take care of at least some of the excess energy.

Whatever the case may be, I'm looking at his medal and certificates and I've still got a big goofy grin on my face. I pray that this is just one step of many that he will take on the path to becoming a prolific black man.

1 comment:

MBT4679 said...

awwww u know i love the Ty chronicles

i think u ought to begin writing these stories down

make use of your writing talent