the form that made me feel like a big loser parent

i know i am not alone when i say or write this.

i cannot believe the amount of paperwork that comes home with my child who is only in kindergarten.

paperwork that i have to read, fill out and return. i had it with our daughter but it leveled off the older she got so it’s been a while.

things to sign up for, volunteer for, dates to remember, stuff to take in, endless committees and stuff, stuff, stuff.

some things that make me wonder if we are terrible parents. for example, one form that recently came home titled “what’s going on in your child’s life?”. that just opened a can of worms in my head. they suggest listing important dates, like doctor appts, soccer games, scout meetings, music lessons, birthdays, vacations, etc.

i understand why they are doing this and frankly i am pleased that people actually give a shit. my generation did not suffer from anyone giving a shit or wanting to know anything about them. AND WE TURNED OUT FINE RIGHT?

after looking this over a couple of times, i began to do that comparison thing. i looked at the husband and said, “we have no important dates to list on this form.” after i said it, it bore into my brain like this:

WE HAVE NO IMPORTANT DATES FOR OUR CHILD. WE ARE THE WORST PARENTS EVER. BAD, BAD, BAD.

seriously, we haven’t even taken a vacation this year. we never even made it to theme park that we purchased season passes for. the reasons we haven’t done anything for GONE anywhere? HEAT, a side of mild depression, HEAT. work overload and did i mention the HEAT?

i know my spiritual adviser would say i was comparing myself to others. i am fairly advanced in the not comparing myself to others when it comes to me. as a parent, not quite as advanced. i have faith it’ll get there eventually hopefully before our son is an adult and becomes scarred by mommy’s *issues*.

the more i pondered on this and our not having an EXCITING SUMMER! i came to the reality that we aren’t hot weather people. plain and simple. the fall and spring are my favorite seasons.

there is no “return by” date on this particular form. therefore, i will not return this form until fall, when hopefully i’ll have some stuff to put down.