The Call from the Principal and Other Stories

So, last night when I *finally* got a chance to check voicemail, I discovered a message from the elementary school principal. "Oh no....I thought- what did he do". And much to my delight, as I listened, I found out that Jake was actually the victim of a snack attack. A 4th grader was stalking Jake (o.k., not really, he was probably standing right next to him), and saw Jake's snack fall out of his pocket. He scooped it up, and taunted Jake, telling him "I'm going to eat this, you'll never get it back"....o.k. so probably not the real words. I added for dramatic effect. But, the end result was the same. The boy took Jake's snack, stomped on it, and did not give it back. The principal handled it wonderfully in my opinion (in fact, maybe treated it too strongly), and Jake hadn't even mentioned the incident to me when he got home. But still, I loved the fact that the first phone call home from the principal (regarding Jake) was one of defense. Telling me how sad he was, how sweet he was, and how totally correct he handled it. I feel fairly certain they will not ALL go that way.

Second story: A mom, who was volunteering at the 'Birthday Table' with me, commented today, "Oh, did Emily just get hearing aids?". For starters, for those who just joined in, Emily has bilateral implants, and just chopped her hair off this summer (which explains why the mom honestly did not notice anything). The amazing moment for me- a mom, who is always wondering how the kids are fitting in, measuring up, succeeding or failing- it blows my mind that another mom who knows Emily from sports, school, etc., had no idea she has hearing issues. Em has the WORST hearing of the bunch.....it is so obvious to me in many of our interactions that she struggles at times (anytime there is wind, excess noise, when she's in the back seat of the car....I could go on and on), but yet to others she is the same as any other 3rd grader. These are the moments I cherish- not the fact that she is 'ordinary', but the fact that she will never be defined by her hearing loss. Some may know she has little (if NO) hearing, but it is an afterthought, not a consideration. For me deafness is not a handicap, but just part of my children I have come to know, accept, and love, in may ways ( I could write an entire blog post on this subject, and hopefully will someday).