Can You Say Stigmatized?

It’s only been one week, and I can promise you that my daughter has already been flagged at her new school. I am sure within her school file there is already a little asterisk next to her name. 

* Child needs extra help. Parents are incompetent heathens.

So far, I have done nothing right.  In just one week I have managed to single handedly elevate my child to the ultimate class misfit status.  

First, I took her to school last Wednesday only to find out she wasn’t suppose to go that day.  Apparently, they break the kids up into two first days. Half go on Tuesday and half go on Wednesday.  HELLO! No one told me anything about two half days! How am I suppose to know this shit, by osmosis? I never read anything, anywhere about two first half days, yet alone which half day we should have gone to!

Then Thursday was the start of the after care program. But I didn’t know that either because I never got the envelope. They told us we would be getting a special after care envelope to fill out and put our money in. Forget the fact that I wrote out sixty checks on that first day. Apparently, the really important check I needed to write out, I didn’t. And why? Because, HELLO! I was waiting for the fucking envelope that never came!  

Then on Friday, her gym day, I sent her to school in her regular clothes only to discover every other kid was already dressed in their gym uniforms.  Apparently, they do not change in and out of their gym clothes but wear them all day. No one told me I had to dress her at home!  And now they lost her gym clothes because I sent them with her on Tuesday because HELLO! they told us to bring in every item on THE MUST HAVE LIST by Tuesday and guess what? Those damn gym clothes were on that fucking list! I just followed the directions which apparently, by osmosis every other mother knew not to follow.

Then today, we show up and find all the kids are dressed in uniforms.  All but my daughter who was in pink pants, orange socks, purple shoes and a blue top. They told us uniforms were optional. OPTIONAL!  They said that Pre-k kids do not have to follow the dress code.  But apparently, not having to follow the dress code translates into no bright colors, only black or white shoes, no hair ribbons or anything else that is not part of the fucking dress code!

So take all that, add in the fact that her father isn’t even Catholic, then top that off with the fact that her mother has a different last name and what do you get? One stigmatized four year old for sure. 

UGH! My poor daughter. 

We went out and bought a uniform tonight because I need to start doing something right for this poor kid or she’ll be labelled for life.

Or I’ll have a nervous breakdown.

Comments

[Mama P]

i am laughing so hard i'm peeing my pants... oops, ok, *confession*, i only THOUGHT about peeing. (i did just drink a lot of water, though.) jeesus. you've got me thinking like a Cat'lic again. !!

poor piper. you know, you should really consider giving her a good catholic name, now. for extra Pope Points (TM). Piper Maria. ;) oh, honey. don't worry. the other kids were probably jealous as hell & likely she's labeled the "cool kid". what with her good looks, charm & obvious fashion sense. (don't even get me started on her _mind_.) catholic school girls are *supposed* to be rebellious. i always envied the girls who went to Sacred Heart. yeah, i'd be slinking in to Tuesday afternoon CCD and there they were, leaving. they were legendary. didn't take no bs. i'd say piper is well en route to utter COOL.

[Beth]

Too funny. But kinda got me angry too. Sounds like some serious mismanagement on their behalf. Besides, who wears gym clothes all day? That's just weird.

School is just another form of bizarro bureaucracy. A new form of "the man."

[humorworks]

momish: this is your punishment for not being in the inner circle of the church community...you missed robotraining 101. they have likely already divined that you are planning for a philly arts school in her creative future. piper is bright enough to figure out the injustice of forced conformity, so start filling out those applications. btw, ask you hubby how he enjoyed being an altar boy. me........not cynical at all !