Equality Anniversaries

Monday was Women's Equality Day - the 93rd anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.  We still have a long way to go, but we have come so far.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Given the way the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act this summer, it is chilling how much we still have left to do to protect equality in this nation, no matter who is president.

Yesterday, I noticed the Girl wearing two strands of beads that a friend of mine made on a night (1990? 1991? 1992? When was that, Tish?)  that we students - all starstruck - spent listening to Martin Luther King III speak about peace at the University of North Texas, then going to have dinner with him and his bodyguards at the Kettle.  

We never realize when we are young how permanent the struggles for peace and justice are, do we? 

Today, I pray that all people can live in peace and equality together.

12th Grade

Summer O' Surgeries: Wisdom Teeth

The Girl got her wisdom teeth out yesterday.  The way things have gone this summer, the lead up to another surgery just seemed harrowing to both of us.  She did not like the idea of the sedative the oral surgeon used, I was terrified of any drug she had not used before being introduced - it was just stressful all-around.  She did great, though, and is now bopping around being resistant to my advice to ice it continuously in the way of young people who feel pretty much fine.

After having felt the heavy pressure of all the decisions to be made this summer, and the concern that - having just switched jobs and thereby lost my FMLA eligibility right before everything went down - someone else, like Lone Star Pa,  would need to take charge of some pretty serious decisions in Houston if the tests had not come out normal - I have a lot of cognitive dissonance about the fact that the Girl will soon be making all of her health care decisions herself.

On the one hand, I am  very concerned that she will spend a few years not being careful enough about her allergies, etc. to keep her as safe as I want her to be - until med school settles her down, probably.  On the other hand, there is a very guilty anticipation of relief over me not being the one at fault one way or another at that time.  Those sorts of conflicting feelings are difficult.  She will always be my child, after all. I would rather carry the stress of the decisions than have her be unsafe - truly.  Mostly.  Totally.  Yeah. 

Life is gorgeous, though, and good and I am and will remain super-grateful for her safety and all the good and joyful results of this summer.  I guess I'm just exhausted, too, though.  It's been so emotional.  I am trying to cut myself some slack and know that it is not really dissonant to be grateful and exhausted at the same time.  We are all exhausted.  We are good, though, and together.



 

Greek Mythology Rising

It is soooo hard to get the Lone Star Baby into a new book/series for independent reading.  Harry Potter mania was such a blessing...until it was over just like the old days of The Secret of Droon and The Magic Treehouse before that.  She is soooo resistant to new ideas in between obsessions, though. 

I have been trying to read D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths to her this summer (she is not resistant to books I read to her) ... when I got it together enough to read at night ... and before it got lost in the bed (Book Vortex Supreme).  My plan was to give her enough Greek mythology that she would be ready for The Lightning Thief.  Monday, she got it from the library.  Cross your fingers.

Sex Education For The Fourth Grader

I have started reading The Care And Keeping of You to the Lone Star Baby, and my, but it is holding her interest.  I am saddened that the book has been watered down and separated into "For Younger Girls"  and "For Older Girls" but it is still a good book in both versions.  Also, after I had already gotten the Lone Star Baby a "younger girls" version and we were well into reading it, the Lone Star Girl unearthed her old original version tonight and that is a great book, the publisher not withstanding.  Too cool.

YA Inspiration For Information/Privacy Activists

Several, several, several years ago, the Lone Star Girl (and I) read a YA novel called Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  I liked it.  She loved it.  This summer, we came across and read its sequel, Homeland.

Very timely, people.  Very timely.

Fourth Grade! Upper El!

 Thursday was the Lone Star Baby's first day of fourth grade!  

 At her school, first through third grades are lower elementary and fourth through sixth grades are upper elementary, so she is in kind of a whole new thing - upper el!  It's hard to imagine my baby being in a class with sixth graders! 

Theoretically, her school has extended the dual language track that they used to only have in Lower El to Upper El in her classroom, so I am hoping that she still gets plenty of Spanish.  I am pretty sure it will not be as much as I would like, but it will still be more than she would get anywhere else we could swing sending her, so we will hope for the best!

She said Thursday and Friday were mostly all about rules and the Organizing of The Supplies.  They should start their work plans this week.  I am curious to see how they differ from the Lower El work plans.  I hope she has a great year!

Summer JOY: REACTIVE

Reactive is, for certain, my favorite word ever.  Late July and August have been scary.  First, there was the Girl's bat encounter and subsequent rabies vaccinations and then a very terrifying medical scare with her that had me seriously questioning the advisability of ever doing something crazy like leaving my FMLA-qualifying months at the school district behind and starting a new job, however wonderful. 

Lots of tests later, though, all is well.  Test results came back with nothing scary and she is healing well from the procedure.  

I have not been very productive this weekend because I needed to sleep off the last two weeks of constant worry, but I am getting my groove back now.  Girl Scout stuff and Boxtops coordinating and all of that will get done in baby steps this next week and next weekend. 

The world is gorgeous.