I Could Use a Clone

Sometimes I think life would be so much easier if I could just clone myself.  One of me to take care of work responsibilities, and one of me to take care of home responsibilities.  I didn't realize that having children meant that I would have so much homework again.  But it's our parental responsibility to check our son's planner and folder every night, make sure he's doing everything he's supposed to be doing, help him when he doesn't understand the assignments, and watch for information about things we have to do as parents.  It's a bit overwhelming on top of a full-time job, a home and yard to maintain, and trying to find some time to enjoy my family.  Although I am extremely grateful that my daughter stays on top of all her school work on her own, and just asks for help occasionally.  I don't know how single parents or people with more than two kids do it!

We got a letter from my son's teacher last night that he hadn't completed an assignment, and asking why we hadn't signed and returned the letter about it that she sent home last week.  I was out of town on a business trip last week, and my poor husband was trying to hold it all together himself.  I put a note on the new letter (after finding and signing the letter from last week too) saying that I was out of town and Dad was doing it all on his own.  My intention was to convey that my husband had been going it all alone without any help and so something had slipped through the cracks.  My husband saw the note and took it as my saying that he's a loser father not capable of handling things if I'm not around.  Since I think he held it together better than I would have, that certainly wasn't what I meant.  So that darn letter about this missing homework assignment even caused some marital strife.

My son's teacher has been teaching for 43 years, so when it comes to technology she's not on the leading edge.  Our school district offers an online parent portal, but my son's teacher refuses to use it.  So I don't actually know what my son is supposed to be doing unless he writes it down in his planner, and he's a 10-year old with ADHD.  I've even tried checking her website, but since she doesn't update that, I have no idea what's due if he doesn't write it down, yet I feel like I get in trouble if his work isn't done.  Sigh...