What the Hell?!

Saturday evening, Mom to Twins from my babysitting co-op sat for me. Turns out, her kids attend the same school Mini Me will be attending. Mom to Twins told me they DID add that extra class at the Montessori school. You remember - the principal told me that if they got approval from Chicago Public Schools to add another 1st grade class, my son would get into for sure. It was Saturday night. I had to wait until Monday morning.

I remained cautiously optimistic. Restless. I think the hyper vigilance of untangling that yarn knot was part of my attempt to redirect and focus on something else.

On Monday morning, I called the school. And called. And called. Finally, the principal answered. I thought they had all gone on vacation! That happened at Spring Break. No answer for 2 weeks! I'm going to have to come up with a good nickname for him, but right now, I don't have one. At any rate, he said he would call me back that afternoon.

We embarked on Adventures of the 3 M's. Another diversion. At 2:30, I started calling the school. Their voicemail says they close at 3 pm and I HAD to know. Finally, at 2:56, I got through to the principal. He said it was next on his list and he would call me. 

It was crucial I get an answer on Motor Mouth getting in Monday, because I had a meeting set for Tuesday morning to discuss the possibility of me working at the private school we like for Motor Mouth, to offset the cost of tuition - it's that much.  

He called back. Motor Mouth didn't get in. First on the wait list. If someone cancels, he is in. I cried. How could my kid be practically promised a spot and then not get in? 

I felt like I had failed my child. I should have kept calling the school every week, like I did for the first month or so. I should have asked if I could assemble the preschool packets that were taking way too long for the school to get done. I should have been more pushy, instead of trying not to step on toes and piss the administration off before my kid started school. At one point, I remember wondering who I had to sleep with to get my kid in - Sally Field style on Forrest Gump. The principal is a gay man. Maybe I should have had J come to the school with me...?

I could barely function Monday night. Tuesday morning, on the way to the private school meeting, I was weepy. I just wanted to crawl under a nice, thick duvet and sleep. 2 minutes from the school I literally put my happy face on. I smiled real cheesy and shrugged my shoulders like I was a perky co-ed. Mr. Rourke's "Smiles, everyone, smiles!" came to mind. 

The meeting went well. Seems she was excited when she saw my resume. I actually have a lot of skills and experience the school can utilize. Where was this angel a year ago, when I couldn't even get an interview if I paid someone. We are in talks. Nothing is firm yet. I'll keep you posted. Homeschool through the virtual charter program is still an option. 

Well, gotta go make up for all the time I took off while being cautiously optimistic and depressed.