11/09/2012

1.  My string of really super days continued today with a visit from the cops.  Great, huh?  My visiting teachers came in the morning, and I thought the boys were staying busy with schoolwork while I was talking with them.  Turns out Joseph and Mosey were fighting over something, and Joseph threatened, or at least Mosey got scared that Joseph was going to "beat him up," and so Mosey took off outside to get away from Joseph.  He went out without any shoes, walked down Cedar Crest and was walking up Spicewood Parkway when a woman stopped to ask him if he was OK.  Mosey says he said he was fine, but I'm not sure about that since Mosey is not always very good at responding to other adults.  Anyway, he turned around and headed home.  But the lady called the police and then followed him home in her car.  Mosey had just come home and I was working on some schoolwork with him when the lady came up and knocked hard at our front door.  Mosey answered it, and she said, "Oh, it's you!" and then walked quickly away from the house.  I thought that was very weird until Mosey told me what had happened.  Then a couple of minutes later, a policeman walked up to the front door and knocked.  I answered and he said, "Do you have a small child that was walking around by himself?"  I told him that yes, I did (although, is almost-9-years-old that "small?"), and that he and I had just been talking about what happened.  Then he asked, "Why isn't he in school today?"  I told him, "We homeschool.  But don't worry, he and I have been talking and he knows what he did wasn't cool."  I told the policeman and the lady that I really appreciated them watching out for my son, but that everything was OK.  They were polite and and left without saying much else, but I was pretty embarrassed.  I'm sure I really helped to give homeschooling a good name with them.
After they left I thought of a lot of other things I should have said.  Because actually, I don't mind at all if my boys walk around the neighborhood by themselves.  They are plenty old enough and responsible enough, and I have no problem with it.  The only problem was that Mosey had gone out without telling me.  But the lady and the cop didn't know that.  I wish I would have said, "We homeschool, and I give my son permission to take short walks around the neighborhood for exercise."  Oh well.

2.  At least we had a pretty decent day of lessons.  I think everyone finished everything.

3.  In the evening we went to our friends' house for an election pity party.  It was half cathartic and half depressing.  At least I know I'm not the only one feeling this way.