A Good Cause

Yesterday, my kids got to participate in the National Terry Fox School Run.

Before they left or school we had this conversation:

Me: "Hey, you guys get to do the Terry fox run at school today, for cancer research!"
Max: "and then I will get cancer?"
Me: "No, you will get money to help doctors fix cancer."
Max: "Oh, ok then."

Well, at least he's not going on blind faith...he asks questions just to be sure.

Tyler was having a writing day for work, so I asked him if he could possibly do that from home, so i could go to the school in the afternoon to watch the kids. It was agreed.

When I got to the school, it was organized chaos. I imagine that is always how a school is. This is why I am not a teacher. Each of the classes were lined up on the school field. Max's class was lined up against the building while the teacher was organizing kids with their Grade 5-buddy.


In the morning it was pouring rain, so I had sent the kids to school with raincoats and boots on. By the afternoon it was hot and muggy, so I grabbed their runners for them. When I found Max, he was standing agains the wall, coat and boots on (seriously, it's 20 degrees...didn't someone think to tell this poor kid to leave his jacket behind?), crying. Because of the chaos of kids, he didn't see me coming. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Max!"

He looked up at me with his sad eyes, recognized me, and the little tears got a lot bigger. "What's wrong?"

"Lucy didn't play with me at recess today!"

"Well, bud, maybe she was playing with her friends. That's ok. You can play with your friends too."

"I know mom! But she usually tells me when she's going to play with her friends. She didn't tell me today!"

Oh wait, I forgot to mention that when I got up this morning to get the kids up for school, Max was not in his bed. Quick shot of adrenaline and panic until I get down the hallway and see him in Lucy's bed. "Max, why are you in Lucy's bed?" "I woke up, and it was light in the hallway, so i came down here." So at some point after about 6:30am, when the sun comes up, he got up and went into Lucy's bed. Did he sleep more? I don't know. But it could explain his emotional outburst at school.

I found Lucy and gave her her shoes. "Hey mom! Max and I have talked SOO many times today!" A good night's sleep puts a totally different perspective on a situation...

The classes all lined up in front of the school for a group photo, and then they were off. Class-by-class. Max held hands with his Grade-5 buddy...and me. We walked together the entire time. It was hot and muggy out, but lots of fun and the kids were all in good spirits.





As the last few classes made their way back to the school yard, the kids that were already there were chanting, "Ter-ry-Fox! Ter-ry-Fox!" It was great.

I walked into the school to drop off a form at the office and to gather up the kids coats, since I knew they wouldn't be needing them for the rest of the day. I met Lucy in the hallway and insisted she have a drink out of her water bottle before going into class.

This brings me to my next point. What is it with schools? Sometimes they drive me nuts. I mean, I love my kids school, and their teachers. And they're doing very well. But I have never understood why school focus so much on cramming information into kids heads and not on achieving a well-balanced life, which includes breaks.

At my kids school they get 2 breaks a day. Kind of like 2 lunches. 20 minutes to eat, 20 minutes to play at each one. Both of my kids come home with half-eaten lunches. This is not a surprise to me. They are slow eaters. I have had to be very creative in the things I send for lunches to ensure that they're getting good nutrition, and things they can and will eat quickly. An apple is not a quick thing. Grapes are quick.

Alright, I can consign myself to the fact that they need 3-100 minutes instructional blocks, and only 2-20 minute nutrition blocks. The teachers have got to teach. But when my kids come home and complain that they only get to go to the bathroom or get a drink if it's a break time, but not when the teacher is teaching, or during recess time, I get a little annoyed.

We drink a lot of water at our house. Each of my kids has their own water bottle that is filled every morning, and they keep it with them throughout the day. If we go downstairs, the water bottle comes with us. When we go to the park, or outside, or for a drive in the car, the water bottles come with us. It may sound like a pain, but it works. My kids drink water. We rarely have juice or pop. If they're thirsty, I refer to the water bottle.

It may seem extreme, but as a person who has had to learn in her grown-up years how to drink enough water, and some days still struggles to get the full 8 glasses every day, I want to make sure that my kids start with good habits. So this is where my frustration comes in with the schools. Let them have a drink for pity sake. Ok, I understand not interrupting teaching time every 2 minutes while one out of 30 students goes to get a drink. But, if that's the case, then insist they bring a water bottle to keep with them at their desk. I'm pretty sure teachers keep a drink or a coffee at their desk all the time, and have a drink whenever they feel the need. Umm...kid's are people too. (too extreme? I get a little bent out of shape on this topic).

Plus, I don't like that my kid's are parched when they get home and are drinking their daily share between 5 and 8pm...because we all know, what goes in must come out...and I don't like the call for those good liquids to come out at 4am.

I loved my daughter's previous school who insisted on water bottle use. Love it. And when the school is hot and the weather is muggy, all the more reason to drink. Or when your kids have been outside on a Terry Fox run, a drink afterwards is kind of necessary, is it not? Apparently it's not.

So I have told Lucy to ask her teacher if she's allowed to bring her water bottle into class with her. I figure I'll let her try having the discussion first, before I intervene. I understand that it could get crazy if kids are not careful...and keeping track of water bottles might be difficult...or spills, or more frequent bathroom breaks, but hello people...these tiny things you're teaching...people.

Anyway, I will start a water revolution...somehow.

But the Terry Fox Run was fun.

We have friends in our ward who are going through a struggle right now, as the father of their family was just diagnosed with a spinal cord tumour. It kind of rocked our ward, and our family. We've been here a short time, but we've created great friendships already. And this family is young. Our age. We fasted for their family as a ward on Sunday. We pray for them daily. And we as a family seem just a little bit closer this week as we've appreciated the fragility of life.