Why Parents Drink

[polly_mer]

I will start by saying that Blocky is mostly a good little guy and a joy to have around, but, some days, I am very much reminded that he's still a little guy.

We're one week out from the end of school for Blocky.  A teacher agreed that the kids in Blocky's group could have a party in class if the kids organized.  Blocky came home and informed us that we had to make brownies.

Mr. Mer and I looked at each other and then back at Blocky.  The resulting conversation went something like:

Parent: "You signed up to bring brownies?" 
Blocky: "Yes, I did.  They're due Thursday."
Parent: "Do you know what brownies are?"
Blocky: "Of course, I know what brownies are!"
Parent: "We're talking the chocolatey bar things?"
Blocky: "Yes, those are brownies."
Parent: "And you chose to do this, knowing what brownies are?"
Blocky: "They're not really expensive, are they?"
Parent: "No, we can make brownies if that's what you really want.  Did we mention they are chocolate?"
Blocky: "Yep."
Parent: "You hate chocolate."
Blocky: "Yep."
Parent: "Why did you volunteer to bring a treat to a party that you won't eat?"
Blocky <shrugs> "I mentioned they were due Thursday, right?"

Le sigh.

Share your kid stories here because you're definitely not alone.

[Tenured_Feminist]

Wow, he told you a week out? That's impressive. Mine generally would drop a bomb like that the day before when they were younger.

Youngest needs new black pants for his upcoming school concerts. He has needed these pants since the last concert in March. Thus far, he has evaded, forgotten, and resisted all shopping attempts. This must happen today, however, as the first concert is this Thursday night and I am off to a conference Thursday morning. Mind you, this comes on the heels of having had to shop for 1) the prom dress, 2) the graduation dress, 3) the sports banquet dress, and 4) shoes for graduating child. I have conveniently forgotten that neither the prom shoes nor the banquet shoes will go with the white graduation dress because I would rather hit my knee several times with a big hammer than go back to Macy's.

[mamselle]

Order ballet-slipper-like shoes from Amazon?

M.

[paultuttle]

Wow, he told you a week out? That's impressive. Mine generally would drop a bomb like that the day before when they were younger.

Youngest needs new black pants for his upcoming school concerts. He has needed these pants since the last concert in March. Thus far, he has evaded, forgotten, and resisted all shopping attempts. This must happen today, however, as the first concert is this Thursday night and I am off to a conference Thursday morning. Mind you, this comes on the heels of having had to shop for 1) the prom dress, 2) the graduation dress, 3) the sports banquet dress, and 4) shoes for graduating child. I have conveniently forgotten that neither the prom shoes nor the banquet shoes will go with the white graduation dress because I would rather hit my knee several times with a big hammer than go back to Macy's.

When I was in kindergarten, I once actually told my mother--when she came home from an 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift as a nurse at the local hospital--that she "needed" to make a cake for me for that morning's classroom party and that I'd "promised" everyone that my mother would bring a wonderful cake.

Had I informed her earlier, you ask? Why, no. Of course not. I was five, and my mother could work miracles if I only asked, right?

Well, after I learned a few new words from her, she drove me and my brothers to school with the promise that she would indeed make a cake, frost it, and bring it. And she did! Still in her nurse's uniform with the little cap pinned to her hair, she brought to my classroom, on time, my favorite cake--three layers of angel food cake with vanilla and (fresh) coconut frosting.

Mom still reminds me of that cake and tells me I continue to owe her for it. I have to admit, 45 years later, yes, I most definitely do.  <grin>

[Cheerful]

What a heartwarming story, paultuttle.

[Tenured_Feminist]

Yes it is!

[citrine]

I have returned from a week away scoring exams, and Nephew (now age 10, how did that happen?) was in the care of my father as he is every time I do this. Things went well except that Nephew forgot to bring in a really vital slip of paper that I had signed and put in his backpack right before I left. Last week. My father didn't think to check Nephew's homework folder, so... Anyways, if I have to sneak into fifth grade graduation, that's why.

[mamselle]

I can just hear you at the gate...

   "Yes, he's my son, yes, I really do want to claim him, yes, if you ask him he'll tell you so, too."

Such good news that he's moving along and doing well.

And so good to hear from you, too!

M.

[brixton]

My sister had a super high power, 90 hour/week job.  The school teachers devised a plan that every week (twice a week?) a parent mother would bake a cake in the shape of a state to teach the students about the US states.  When my sister heard this, her  head exploded, but, when confronted, the teacher reassured her that they had assigned her Nebraska, so that she could just pick the cake up from the store.  (And we wonder why our mothers drink.)

[magnemite]

I'll bet the corn-husker fans would love to find a Nebraska-shaped cake pan. Thinking Wyoming or Colorado would be the simplest a piece of cake to make...

[the_geneticist]

My sister had a super high power, 90 hour/week job.  The school teachers devised a plan that every week (twice a week?) a parent mother would bake a cake in the shape of a state to teach the students about the US states.  When my sister heard this, her  head exploded, but, when confronted, the teacher reassured her that they had assigned her Nebraska, so that she could just pick the cake up from the store.  (And we wonder why our mothers drink.)

Pretty sure my local grocery doesn't sell a Nebraska-shaped cake.  But 5 min with a knife and I could carve it to be close enough. 
If someone assigned me Hawaii, I think I'd be tempted to just put some pineapple on top of a normal rectangular sheet cake and say it's a Hawaiian cake.  You know, the same way you make a "Hawaiian" pizza/burger/whatever. 

[citrine]

Nephew wants to wear my tam, which is actually my father's tam (he gave me his regalia when he retired, although I do need a different hood as we don't have degrees in the same subject) to fifth grade graduation. It's too big for him and the cafeteria will be stiflingly hot, but I'm kinda tempted to give in.

[backatit]

I might give in, and plan to have it dry cleaned after :D.

I'm drinking, for sure. I have two adult stepchildren moving back in. One has decided that dorm life is no fun, and he lives somewhat close enough to campus to commute (about 90 miles - we'll see how long that lasts). The other has graduated with her MA, and is trying to decide what to do next. She was planning to go on for a PhD but now she's not sure. Her MA is somewhat questionable in value; psychology, she doesn't really want to pursue research now, not really sure WHAT she wants to do (she is incredibly vague about her goals, honestly so we're encouraging her to sort that out). Must not get involved...must not get involved...

[backatit]

My sister had a super high power, 90 hour/week job.  The school teachers devised a plan that every week (twice a week?) a parent mother would bake a cake in the shape of a state to teach the students about the US states.  When my sister heard this, her  head exploded, but, when confronted, the teacher reassured her that they had assigned her Nebraska, so that she could just pick the cake up from the store.  (And we wonder why our mothers drink.)

Pretty sure my local grocery doesn't sell a Nebraska-shaped cake.  But 5 min with a knife and I could carve it to be close enough. 
If someone assigned me Hawaii, I think I'd be tempted to just put some pineapple on top of a normal rectangular sheet cake and say it's a Hawaiian cake.  You know, the same way you make a "Hawaiian" pizza/burger/whatever.

If I got Hawaii, I'd throw random chunks of cake on a bunch of plates and strew them across the table. I could not cope with that...

[fast_and_bulbous]

I'll bet the corn-husker fans would love to find a Nebraska-shaped cake pan. Thinking Wyoming or Colorado would be the simplest a piece of cake to make...

For CO I'd insist that there is topographical variation, so it would be a vertical, rather than horizontal, challenge.