Drama

I hope you don't get the impression from reading my blog that my life is without drama. We certainly have our share. This past week, little Alexandra was sick and vomited a bit (nothing really that dramatic). In some ways I was happy for an excuse just to stay home for once and get some things done. She mostly lounged on the couch and watched t.v. She took a few days and eventually was deemed better. However, that very night Abby vomited in the middle of the night. Charles and I immediately expected it was what Alex had. However, she was perfectly fine the next morning eating and dancing about as usual. I kept her home from school that day which also happened to be the very day that her school class has swimming. 

Here in the UK, students have swimming lessons during school with their class. I have also signed Abby and Sammy up for swimming after school. Abby loves the swimming lessons with Sammy. They are in the same class and they are bouncing off the walls, they love it so much. However, swimming lessons at school with her class are a different story. The first time she went, she was the last one dressed and everyone was waiting for her to get on the bus. That was very traumatic for her. She also is one of the only ones who is still in the shallow end of the pool, all the rest of her class is in the deep end and are more advanced swimmers. In some ways this is my fault for not getting her in swimming lessons earlier but I tried. She has been terrified of the water for a very long time and was not ready to take swimming until recently. I really feel for her. I have asked the school if I could go on the bus with her class to swimming but there is already a roster of mothers and they don't need me. Also you have to be CRB certified which is basically a WHOLE lot of paperwork to make sure you are not a paedophile. I have not filled out my paperwork out of sheer laziness. I guess I should. 

I think Abby was sick (her vomiting certainly sounded real) but I think it also may have been nerves and stress about swimming. Poor girl! Like I said, she stayed home on the day of swimming. The school told me she was not allowed back for 48 hours after throwing up. The day she was home, she was so bored! I couldn't imagine keeping her home another day. Besides, Wednesdays is when she has french class and she absolutely loves it. So I made her get her uniform on that morning and give it a try to see if the school would let her come back. Charles was in Brussels for the day so I was on my own in this decision. 

I took her to school but thought it was pretty likely that she would be turned away to stay home for another day. I think she thought (or hoped) the same. However, they told her she could stay. She was so surprised. However, she refused to go into class. I am pleading with her, comforting her, trying to persuade her but no luck. I take her to the office where the pleading, begging and persuading starts all over. She is holding on to me and crying and refusing to go to school. The secretary literally pries her off me and physically takes her away to class. I feel terrible! It was awful! I cry all the way home. I call Charles in Brussels. He tries to calm me but is heading into a meeting. I worry and feel terrible the rest of the day. Would it have been so awful for me to keep her home one more day? I go and pick her up from school. She comes out smiling and gives me a big hug. Tough love is more difficult than I thought and this is only the beginning...