When I first got the note home from the Middle School describing the play/dinner/dance event they (over achieving middle school PTO mothers) had planned for the (hormone riddled irrational) kids my immediate response was to plan on doing what ever I could do or say to encourage Matt to go to this thing. I just want him to have the same experiences as the other (non-neurologically impaired) kids. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine he would actually want to go. But he seemed completely fine and totally unfazed by the idea. (Huh?!?!) As a matter of fact, when I dropped him off at school the morning of the trip he walked a straight line into the building for the first time this year.
He never did phone me from his cell, like I asked him (between sobs at drop off) to. But I, trying to remain calm, took this as a good sign, and after checking CNN on line for terrorist activity in NYC each and every hour on the hour, and seeing that there had been none, I managed to relax a bit myself, if just a little. I toughed it through the day with out Matt's assistance, and the two younger siblings survived, although I did hear Josh wandering around the house calling "Matt?? MATT??" when he wanted to go onto Matt's WOW account and didn't know his password, and I reminded him that Matt wasn't here.
Also, bedtime was clearly anticlimactic for Josh without Matt's fabulous made up on the spot stories. When the book selection I read to him left him wanting more I tried to entertain him with the bizarre song my folks used to sing to little sis and me when were young. It goes like this "and if you don't go to sleep....(pounce on kid)THE LIONS ARE GOING TO GET YOU and if you don't go to sleep the (pounce) THE TIGERS ARE GOING TO GET YOU and if you don't go to sleep (pounce) THE ELEPHANTS ARE GOING TO GET YOU....... " and on and on until me and little sis began to twitch and drool or gave some other indication that we were significantly terrified of not going immediately to sleep and would stay in our beds for the night. Josh was less than impressed.
Little did I know, my first born was at that very moment, not only feasting on his dream come true "pigs in blankets for as far as the eye could see", but he was also dancing up a storm! Matt danced every single dance for the entire length of the dance. Matt danced so much, that aside from gobbling down a handful or two of the pigs in blankets, he not only didn't eat, but he didn't even bother finding a table at which to sit. As if all my motherly advice (thank you David Garbage wherever you are!) over the years did sink in Matt tells me for much of the evening he group danced in a big circle with as many as four girls at a time! Until the last dance that is, until he danced with a girl that was either named Sharon or Shannon. He wasn't sure. Luckily for Matt there are no Sharons in 8th grade and only one Shannon. Unfortunately there are a plethora of Sarahs and even a Savannah and I imagine there was some serious loud music playing when the dancing girl told my sweaty boy her name. And by sweaty I mean undershirt shirt soaked from the neck line right down to the bottom seams complete with salt marks and everything. My boy gave his all out there on the dance floor. I'm so proud. Also, he did a dance demonstration for me, and I just love how he dances. Did I ever mention how much I love an enthusiastic akward dancing boy? Matt is so white.
When Matt walked into the house late that evening he was so excited he could only talk fast and loud and with a lot of hand motions. He thought the play was great, the other kids hated it because they couldn't get over that there were no actual pirates in The Pirate Queen, but he loved it. Matt had a good time on the bus with his friends and later when he got the dinner dance the music was current, and that made it better, and the pigs in blankets, it was like a dream come true, complete with sweeping arm motions that left me imagining an entire buffet table of pigs in blankets. It was so cute and such a happy moment. I could have just listened to him chatter away with my own big grin across my tired (and relieved) mother face all night long.
LOL! "Matt is so white." You rock!
Posted by: dink(y) | June 08, 2007 at 08:34 PM
awwwww. That is so sweet. Typical of his species not to get her name and not ask her to repeat it though. Your little boy is growing into a man. A typical man. :)
Posted by: Laura | June 09, 2007 at 10:18 AM
That's great that he had a wonderful time - it helps when the music is modern. Morgan just had her 8th grade dance and the music rocked - for the Mom's it was all '80's all the time! She was not happy when I started to dance to "Hey Mickey". LOL!
Okay - quick question. I know of 2 types of pigs in the blankets - saugsage links wrapped in pancakes or the kind my mother makes (I still kinda wince when I think of these - but she was raised in NY) a pork ball wrapped with cabbage with a tomato sauce. I have to know - I can't imagine Matt eating the kind that my Mom makes! :0)
Posted by: Jen - Lance's Wife | June 09, 2007 at 09:41 PM
Congrats on the triumph! We gear ourselves for the academic angst as our kids begin school and we end up being surprised by how much the social aspect means as well.
Posted by: wordgirl | June 10, 2007 at 08:37 PM
They are tiny little hot dogs wrapped in phyllo dough.
Doesn't phyllo just make everything better?
Posted by: clickmom | June 10, 2007 at 11:23 PM