Tests

As I was pulling things out of her backpack, I came across Girlie's weekly spelling test. Of course, I am proud of her spelling, but I am even more excited to see that her handwriting has improved so much. We have been working on it and it has been a huge source of frustration and anguish for her.

Boy can I relate! I also had a terrible time with penmanship. Years later, I found out that I was really left handed, but my mother and my pediatrician had decided to "correct" it and force me to use my right hand. That explains so much about me. But that is a story for another time. This one is about tests.




As part of the test, the kids get to write two sentences for extra credit. I turned the page over to find this:

Yes, my child managed to scribble out, not one, but two swear words in a single sentence. Okay, I realize that she didn't mean to, I had to laugh anyway.

You see, I am known to have a bit of a potty mouth. It isn't something I am especially proud of, but it is a pretty big part of who I am. I do my best to curb it in front of the kids, but when I am without them, just being me, I let it fly. I rarely swear because I am angry. Most often, I use the words to punctuate my sentences. Like little four letter exclamation points.

Like so many other things, this quality is not something I hope to pass along to my children. As I review Girlie's work, I wonder if I'll pass the test too. Will I share enough of the good parts of who I am? Will my children be able to escape repeating the things I have done?

I sure as hell hope so.