I got more than I bargained for! (This is going to be a long one!) My day started out normal enough. I left home at 7:30 am... had a perfectly normal day at school. I might even say it was an enjoyable day! After school I went around on some errands. I did things like buy gas for my car, pick up my paycheck, and go to the bank. Then it was time to go over to the school district building where we were meeting for the girls science field trip that I, for some reason, thought it would be fun to go on and chaperone. I got there at about 4:30, and ran into my 6th grade teacher... Jim... something. They told me what it was, cause I couldn't remember, but I forgot it again. I also, once again, ran into my 8th grade math teacher Mrs. Sanford. I tell you, sometimes it is weird running into these people. Cause sometimes I expect them to treat me like I'm still a student, and am sort of surprised when they don't. Anyway, on with my day. I went into the room, and there were a couple hundred girls. They were from all different schools, but it was so un-organized... I couldn't hardly deal with it. So, IT, my school, had 75 girls attending. We had 5 chaperones for these 75 girls. Each chaperone was responsible for 15 or so girls. And really all we had to do was make sure that "our" girls were on the bus so that we didn't leave them behind anywhere. We got to Science City, and the girls were just kind of let loose. When they went to their first session the five of us went looking for food, and ended up walking over to Crown Center. We talked about the people we work with, and all the latest gossip, you know. After we all got our food, and walked back over to where we were supposed to be we started talking about the kids we deal with on a daily basis. And some of the things they were saying that these kids have to deal with was shocking and depressing. These kids know about and deal with more stuff than I can even imagine dealing with. I'm talking foster homes, adoptions, sexual abuse, physical abuse, drug abuse, sex, and racism. Not even to mention having to deal with their sexualities and stuff in 7th grade! I can't imagine this stuff! And when you throw in school, and all their peers, and friends, and trying to just get by. Good God! It got me thinking... and still does! It's depressing! And these teachers and parents were talking about this stuff like it was nothing new. I'm sure that I haven't even tipped the iceberg on this stuff. It's all so new to me. After our dinner there wasn't really much new that happened. The kids ran around, we stood in pointless lines... it was an interesting night to say the least. And really besides the somewhat depressing dinner conversation the rest of the night was good, and filled with very interesting conversation. The lack of organization continued to bug me, but we didn't lose anyone's kid, so that was good. We got home to the school district building at 11, and waited around for 20ish minutes until all our kids got picked up and went home. After that a couple of the other chaperones and I were going to go to this one bar, and just have a drink and relax, but when we got to the bar one of the ladies got a phone call... her son had been arrested. He's freaking 15 years old! From what I hear, and from just how he seems to be, he is a pretty decent kid, and it was a complete shock! He had pot and Beer on him when the cops showed up. He's got a good home. He's got a good family. Why do these kids do this? Oh, and he'd said that he had been smoking just a little bit since he was 15. I know that I was a goody goody when I was a kid, and that this was happening when I was in high school, but I just don't understand why! I've never done pot. I don't have any interest in it. I've never smoked either. I didn't start drinking until I was in college, and even then it wasn't very much until I was legal. And right now, at this moment, bringing kids into this world seems like the stupidest thing in the world to me. You can have a kid, raise them right, do everything you are supposed to do, and for no reason at all, they can decieve, lie, and do some stupid shit. It's almost like you don't have any influence at all. With so many other influences out there, that are completely wrong. They can influence your kid to do everything that you are against. All you want is a kid that is happy, healthy and stays out of trouble. I am so filled with bad thoughts right now. I didn't get home until 1:30, and have spent the last hour just trying to get this out of my system so that I have a prayer of getting some sleep tonight. I never even got that drink! :sigh: Bless your heart if you actually read all of that... you really didn't have to. If you did, or even if you didn't but got the jist and have comments, please feel free to leave them. I would love to hear them. Have a good 3 day weekend everybody! | 
