Mumsy's Middle School Nightmare

It's happening again. I suppose it has happened every year for the past three or four years, but it still bothers me.

We are precariously close to the end of the school year, and I am petrified over what my eldest son's grades are going to be.

It's not secret that he got off to a seriously bad start this year, no matter how hard we tried.

Due to a scheduling error, he started the school year without any medication for his ADHD.

Then, once he was finally did get something, it was majorly the WRONG something and it had adverse affects on him.

When I tried to get him help from the prescribing doctor, all we got was a "Dear John" letter from the office referring us back to our pediatrician for help.

So, we basically waded through the first two nine weeks of school without much direction and with medication that had more than its share of adverse affects.

We finally got things straightened out towards the middle of the year, but my child's grades had already suffered to nearly the point of no return.

The new medication really did help almost instantaneously, but we both knew it was going to be a struggle just to keep his grades up to the point where he could stay in his magnet school.

Well, he was able to pull his grades up, but to what extent I don't really know yet.

That's where the nightmares are coming into play. I go through this every year with him, it seems, to some extent or another.

Ever since he and his friends figured out that it was only the final grades that really mattered in whether or not they would be promoted to the next grade or not, I have lived in a world of bizarre grade combinations.

There is no stopping a child once they think that they have figured out the laws of averages and the magic and secrets of the G.P.A.

Yep, my child has known as early as the third grade exactly how much he could slack off and still pull through in the end.

I know that I should be happy that he is that smart, but it really puts a Mum through quite a bit of hair pulling and bewilderment when one never knows exactly what grades a child really has.

Then one must take into account the unknown of that last report card and the fact that the mail could be misplaced or misdirected at any given moment, leaving you further in the dark!

Once upon a time, I only had to wonder if he made it to the next grade. Now, I have to worry about his making the cut-off in the standards to stay a student in his magnet school that he attends.

I really won't know until the final report card gets here. I really do try and monitor and keep up with everything grade-wise, too.

Some of his teachers have websites and actually post the student's grades. I adore those teachers.

But, then there are the ones who rely on the student to keep up with everything. With my child, even if he did keep up with it, would he ever really share that information with me?

I remember what it's like to be thirteen and having to watch my own grades in the exact same situation and school that he attends, so I have no doubt that things slip by my watchful eye!

I do know that as of this moment, he is actually passing French with a nice sturdy "C."

Teacher has been sending home weekly grade sheets to remind us of how much we Mums should be worrying.

I am most grateful for this "C," too. I hadn't expected anything that high as he had spent the greater part of the first few months of school trying to get out of that class!

Now, the only thing I wonder about is his History grade. I don't have much hope for it as my little sister had the exact same teacher and it was the first time she ever made a bad grade in any class.

I have poked, prodded and tried to get my child to try harder and do well in that class, but I just do not know how well any of the kids can do with that class, really!

So, last night, I had a nightmare that his final report card got mailed to the old address and it took all summer for it to get to us.

In the dream, once we received it, it had the wrong grades on it and they were all the wrong classes and were really for another child.

Of course this other child had failed and received a voided contract letter as well.

But, being that the grades and classes did not belong to MY child, I had to figure out a way to actually find out what his real final grades were and get them to give him back his spot at school if he passed.

It was one of those awful nightmares that rival bad horror flicks and have that feeling of DOOM all over them.

I woke up very thankful to find that it was all just a dream and that there really was a few more days left of school.

But, the nightmare doesn't do anything to help my worrisome-mumsy mind at all.

So, here I sit, watching, waiting and worrying. Nothing will put my mind to rest until I have that final report card in my hand and know that he will still be attending the same school next year.

Then maybe I can finally relax a few months until it starts all over AGAIN. This next year is even more important academically.

I suppose I shall be a basket case all next year, too, until I know for certain that he is accepted and contracted to the high school of his choice.

I suppose I may have to get used to these nightmares!