Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Avoidance

Yesterday was a long day. While many people were out celebrating the luck of the Irish and drinking green beer, I was working.

Between my day job and my night job ... I could have used some green beer, or any beer really and I don't drink.

I got through it. Like we all do, you put your game face on and you go with it. Maybe dodge a pie in the face or two. (or not, I'm trying to not talk about work here, but it's consuming me)

Finally my day was over at around 10 PM. My teenager came in, asking if she could talk to just me. (cue the anticipation music here) So I went out into the hallway because she wanted privacy.

"Can I say home tomorrow" She said to me with a long face.

"Why" Behind this simple one word question is a whole host of things. I search my mind to when she was playing with her baby sister, she seemed fine. Then I think about dinner and how I made spaghetti, which she ate all of. Then I think about her phone call to me as I left work, asking for fast food.

"I think I have what my friend had, but not as bad" she explains.

"????" I have no idea what that means.

"A headache and I'm dizzy."

Here is where I launch into a barrage of questions trying to figure out what is going on. I talk about the school's attendance policy. My note doesn't give her an excused absence. I mention how she's missing homework and is there any of that going on. She tells me no. I tell here that it's hard for me to say yes to that request when all night long she's been fine. When she has spent the entire evening, online, chatting and roll playing with her friends.

She gives me the blank stare.

I ask her if she's feeling stressed with school. She says that she is. (I am not entirely sure if she really is, or if she thinks agreeing with this statement will get her the desired outcome). I suggest she talk to her guidance counselor. She says no. Then I ask if she needs counseling. This question has come up two or three times now, granted by me, but I don't want her to think there aren't options. I go into how she needs to have someone to talk to about what is going on in her life, someone to help her process it all.

Again more no's.

"Are you having problems with kids in school?"

I felt I didn't get any satisfactory answers to my questions, like either nothing is wrong other than she doesn't want to go, or something is going on that she doesn't want to say.

Detention perhaps?

I told her I'd think about it and I climbed back into bed and thought to myself, how much it sucks to be a parent sometimes. (sometimes?)

Unless she's coughing up a lung, I'd say she's going ....

1 comment:

Sassy said...

Well, if she seemed fine, then you made the right choice.

There are days I wake up, I'm so tired that I just want to sleep in. I even think "hmm, what can be my excuse if I call in". But I don't call in. I drag myself out of bed and go to work because I have to. Then I'm fine when I get there.

What I wouldn't give to be back in school..

sometimes.