Yesterday, I had a parent-teacher meeting with my darling Fric’s teacher. While she is excelling in her academics and frightening me with her emotional and intellectual wisdom, she has been having problems with bullying.
As in those mean little beyotches at school are making my first born miserable.
My first reaction is to storm into the school, grab them by their scrawny little throats, throw them onto the sticky floor, sit on them and threaten to gob into their faces until they beg for forgiveness and cry for mercy until I let them up and stuff them into their messy little lockers.
However, I think there may be some kinda law about that so I decided to go with the grown up route and discuss the situation with the teachers instead.
If that doesn’t work, I’m putting on my combat boots and heading off to the school to show those little cows whose momma can roar the loudest.
Fric’s teacher is a young thing, with perky boobs and a waist I could probably circle with both of my small feminine hands and she is really pretty. She’s yet to fall into that vicious trap of giving up her youth, beauty and dignity to breeding small humans.
The competitive inner raging bitch in me tells me that I have to present myself in a good light in order to be taken seriously.
This means I can’t just storm into the school demanding for several preteen heads be served to me on a platter looking like a sloppy soccer mom whose gut is bulging out of the top of her pants and has enough grease in her ponytail to squeeze out and slather on the bottom of several baking dishes.
Which is how I normally look. Because why bother grooming oneself if the only persons who see you are the ones you sprung from your loins I am comfortable in my body and how I look.
But common sense and vanity told me the best way to make an impression on her was to NOT look homeless.
I have no qualms going shopping looking like a hillbilly. As long as my face is washed, my hair is combed and there is nothing in my teeth, I’m generally good to go to troll the aisles of the supermarket.
It’s not like my husband is coming home and I was going to get laid so I’d better get purdee fast.
The truth of the matter is I’m vain. I’m a decade older than Miss Perky Teacher. My insecurities can sometimes get the best of me.
I’m normal.
We all know women can be catty bitches. And even if my darling daughter’s teacher didn’t think anything would be amiss with me showing up au naturel, surely some other lady would see me and secretly scorn me.
That or those mean hyenas Fric goes to school with would race home and tell their mean-girl breeding momma’s that Fric’s mom showed up to school today and you should have seen how she looked! She looked so bad. She was wearing yoga pants with camel toe; dirty slippers and she had a giant zit right in the middle of her chin. I’m so going to steal her kid’s lunch money tomorrow and then make her cry about how ugly she and her mom are tomorrow at recess.
Which of course, would defeat the purpose of me going to school in the first place.
So I gussied up and headed in to the school. I mentally envisioned grabbing one of the little cows trouble makers by her hair and dunking her in the boy’s urinal when I bumped into one of the punks upon entering the class.
It was difficult but I managed to resist temptation.
I don’t know how fruitful my meeting with Fric’s teacher was, nor do I know if my daughter’s social situation will improve any time soon. But I do know that by showing up and addressing the problem, at the very least I brought the situation to light.
I want Fric to know her momma’s got her back at all times. Especially when the tough times roll on through town. I just wish there was something more I could do that wouldn’t land my ass into jail.
That’s not exactly the example I want to set for my kids.
As I was driving home from the school, I contemplated everything I had discussed with the teacher and everything Fric had told me. How my daughter is struggling to fit in and still be herself.
It’s something I struggled with growing up and still struggle with. Hence the war paint and fancy clothes to meet with another woman I barely knew. I want my daughter to be comfortable with who she is, how she looks and the person she will become.
I want her to be comfortable enough in her own skin to go grocery shopping with out a stitch of makeup while wearing her most comfortable pants.
I want her to know that it shouldn’t matter how she looks, it should only matter what she does. Even if society disagrees with me.
I want her to know that no matter how she looks she will always be good enough for me.
That is unless she starts dressing like a two bit hooker with goth-inspired makeup. Then we may have to talk.
This is why I’m taking up Sweetney’s challenge and showing you how it really is. What I really look like. And how I most normally look. Because this is it. The real me. The unvarnished truth.
If HBM, MotherBumper, Chocolate, and OTJ plus a whole other schwack of other great ladies can face their morning demons, then darn it, so can I.
Besides, I’m doing it for my daughter. Because she hasn’t been stuffed into a locker enough times, I feel the need to add fuel to the fire.
Heh heh.
The horns kinda itch first thing, so I generally have to scrub them off. Wouldn’t you know, they keep growing back each night. I don’t know what that is about.
It’s a well known fact I enjoy my rubber ducky time. Heh heh.
This is what greets my children, my dog, my husband and my mirror every morning once I’ve chased my demon away.
I’m learning to love her more every day.









Carrie
Ugh. Bullies just suck. She’ll come out stronger in the end, she just can’t let them keep her down (*cough* and the school needs to clamp down on that crap too *cough*). Keep you’re head up, Fric!
You look great without makeup, what are you talking about?!?
Jennifer McKenzie
Um, what Beth said. I wish I looked HALF that good.
I also wish my mom had had my back in school. She usually thought it was my fault. I had a “bad temper” doncha know. Therefore, when I was tormented and had the gall to get mad, it was MY fault.
My kids also go through this. I found myself telling them the same stupid stuff. “Just ignore them.”
Last night, I told them not to antagonize the GIRL (two years older) who messed with them.
Then, I felt awful.
This morning, I told them to let me know if she did ANYTHING and I’d deal with it. I realized that I was perpetuating a VERY bad habit. Ignore the problem and it will go away right?
No.
Fric is VERY lucky to have you.
Kyla
You’re gorgeous. So is that girl of yours.
TexasGal
I’m the same way as far as ‘having my girls backs’. It was always hard to explain to them why some girls had to be so mean. I tried to explain to her how she was the ‘better’ person for being nice and sweet. My oldest one now though totally understands – she ran into one of the girls that gave her so much grief in High School the other day. They go to the same college. My daughter has grown into the most beautiful, pleasant to be around most wonderful daughter ever that is about to graduate in May where as the nasty girl from High School is just as nasty now. Fat from too much beer and running behind on where she should be graduating too. See, what comes around goes around! And I’ve always been there too, waiting, just in case I needed to whoop some butt!
Lindy
Shit! Just send that demon child from the 2nd pic after them. Believe me after seeing that they’ll never pick on your baby again.
childsplayx2
My daughter is a lot like her mother. My daughter is a little shy around people until she gets comfortable and my wife is like that as well. My wife also cares greatly what other people think – which causes her a lot of angst that is just wasted energy, in my opinion.
My greatest hope for my daughter is that she will love who she is and be the most confident young woman she can be, in spite of all the negative influences girls face today.
Good luck raising a daughter. I, personally, think you’re doing a great job!
Carrie
You’re beautiful and you look just like your daughter – who is so lucky to have you. Girls are hard, aren’t they? So much to worry about, not wanting to pass on our own “stuff” and protect them all at the same time. Even at 4, I can see it coming. . . you are doing a great job.
Her Bad Mother
I knew that your tits would be that awesome. You so sexy in the tub.
(Oh, and that lady in the last picture? She cute. Who she?)
Chicky Chicky Baby
Yep, that’s pretty much how I remember you.
There’s still no way I’m doing this. Right now my hair is sticking up at odd angles and I’ve got pregnancy mask. Not pretty. But you’re smokin’ no matter what, hon.
Aunt Becky
Dude, you are one sexxy chickadee.
We’re dealing with the same problems with Ben at school, and I’ll be the first to tell you (like you didn’t already know), it sucks balls. And not in a good way.
You want so badly to protect your kids from what assholes the rest of the world can be and when you can’t, it just hurts.
I’m sorry, darlin.
kittenpie
I am loving this challenge. It is so interesting, so true. If only I posted pictures, I would totally be in.
And bullying is a tough call, isn’t it? Because you know on one hand, it can be escalated by interference, but on the other hand, you can’t just let it go. I’ve never really heard a satisfactory answer, but I think making sure the teacher has her eyes opened to it is the best first step. Maybe she has some professional secrets or can come down on that behaviour in a general fashion and try to make her room a no-picking-on-people zone.
Julia
I was relentlessly teased as a little girl- smart girl, fat, stupid, skinny, mean, nice, etc. No way to get out of being– whatever. I then got a little older (13) kicked some boy and girl ass, and changed schools to become wacky popular (not really any better than the other as I was super introverted with other kids). It will pass as long as she is given the proper support at school. I was a 70′s alternative school kid and the teachers believed that we should work it out on our own. BULLSHIT! NO WAY can children work that out. They NEED guidance and correction. Keep hounding “hottie teacher” and let her know who’s boss.
creative-type dad
I don’t even want to think about girl-bullies. Maybe you can drop some burning poop-filled diapers (sent be me) on their doorsteps and ring the bell?
Just be sure you’re not topless if you get caught…
Mitch McDad
Ummm…I think you cropped that picture a bit too high.
As for the bully…being from Jersey originally––I know people who can take care of that problem for you and leave no evidence in their wake.
azuki
I think you look lovely in your morning photo!
I had some issues with the “mean girls” in junior high, but as soon as I realized I had as little interest in being friends with them as they did with me I found a really great group of friends that I’m still close with now (as we all graduate from university).
susiej
Great story… and, yes, you are a pretty lady… inside and out.
Ruth Dynamite
Awww…this makes me want to break out my camera first thing in the morning and, and, defiNOTly take a picture of myself. I wouldn’t want to crash anyone’s hard drive.
Ruth Dynamite
I failed to mention how lovely you are, though this goes without saying. Not a stitch of makeup and look at you! A vision!
Jenni
Curse the Barbie creator! What an uphill battle our daughters face!
But you are lovely. And confidence is always the prettiest makeup.
Josie
I didn’t know about this challege and posted a flu pic of myself at the end of the day http://snowflake37.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/typhoid-wb/.
Wish I looked that good normally hon
As for the mean girls in high school – I have friends out your area that can help with that…let me know.