Magic Crystals

Last week, I got a call from Justin’s school in the middle of the day. 

Well hell, I thought. This can’t be good.

When you get a call from school as a parent in the middle of the day, it is almost certainly going to be bad news. Schools never call to say “hey, just wanted you to know that your daughter was an awesome friend today” or “hey, your son was super helpful during recess.” I am not saying those things don’t happen. They probably happen every day, it’s just that no one calls about that. 

Calls come for other reasons (all of these are things that actually happened)...

Calls come when Alex forgets her lunch, or Alex forgets her homework, or Alex forgets her whole damn book bag and needs you to bring it to her. Calls come when Matthew has used inappropriate language at recess, or in gym, or in class (“he said what? Oh, yikes! Do I know where he heard it? Yes ma’am I do. It is one of my favorite words.”) 

Sometimes the calls are more serious. They come because Willie hit or pinched or bit a staff member or fellow student. The calls are because Elizabeth is having a full blown panic attack, or Justin ran away from class and had to be tracked down somewhere on campus.

I thought I had seen it all. We have lived through 5 kids all with different personalities and different needs and different brains. Barbara and I have been active and present volunteers for the last 25 years. We have been around a number of schools and lots and lots of kids. I didn’t think that there was much that could surprise me.

Last week, I was surprised.