He got presents from Grandma, Grandpa, Aunty Cheryl and Granny. Grammie and Pop had given him money over the summer and we got him some cologne and a PlayStation gift voucher.
School seemed a bit more organized for me. I felt more prepared and I anticipate this to be the case from now on. I had a STEAM committee meeting after school that lasted longer than I had wanted since it was Jack’s birthday and we would be going out for dinner to celebrate. Once we left school we took Johan home. He is a one-to-one teacher for one of the children at school and has started riding to and from school with us. We then got home and changed clothes. We headed out to dinner for Jack’s birthday. He wanted to go to PF Chang’s.
And sushi was his dish choice, as it always is.
Cathy joined us for the celebration. We ended up going to Dunkin Donuts for dessert as it was cheaper and yummier than anything they had to offer at PF Chang’s. We then headed home for a late bedtime for Millie, which is always fun.
The birthday bliss did not last long as I got a message on Monday afternoon that Jack had an issue during lunch. He was okay, but had been punched in the head three times by another boy. Apparently he had raised his middle finger at this boy, then was accused of having said some choice words to him in the previous week. Now Jack can by all means be mouthy, so whether he said foul words to this boy or not, only Jack knows. He says he didn’t, but anything is possible. And as he described it, he was using his middle finger to point to things in Math class. I know he knows what he was doing and I’m sure he was just trying to be funny or something. We set a meeting to go and discuss Jack’s responsibility in the whole scenario for Tuesday. No matter what Jack said, no one should ever lay their hands on someone else. Never!
Monday after school the kids and Stuart had to do a border run. This visa process is about to kill us. The fact that they don’t have visas means Jack can’t play rugby yet, which really upsets him. Hopefully it will all get sorted soon.
I helped out with basketball and tried to put the Jack incident behind me until I got the entire story. After basketball I went to the club and worked out in the gym. Stuart dropped Jack and Millie off at 6 pm and then ran home to change as he had training as well. Jack caught the last half hour of training and then stayed for an informational meeting regarding the touch rugby team he is going to play in this year. We ate at the club and we got food for Jack to eat once we were home. The kids and I came home around 7:15 and they were showered and in bed. Stuart and I stayed up talking about this ordeal with Jack. We really feel he’s being bullied and is trying to deal with it himself. We knew we would get more information the following day, but in the meantime it’s tough to go through these situations.
Tuesday morning we were able to meet with the Pastoral Care admin and Jack’s House Master. We told them that he was really down about school and that his start hadn’t been the best. They told us the other boy had been excluded for the rest of the day and that they would get the boys together to sort things out if it was okay with us. I felt better after meeting with them but was still concerned about Jack. I hated my junior high years because of mean kids. I don’t want him to go through the same thing, but maybe it just happens to everyone.
After school Jack had swim squad while Stuart and I were in a staff briefing. Then Jack had touch training at the club. We all went as we had to go straight from school. We came home and had dinner, showers and bed.
Wednesday Jack seemed to have a better day. Stuart and I are still running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Millie, fortunately, is just getting on with life. She’s a fighter, thank goodness. After school we brought Alice and Tommy to the club with us because Joan had a seminar in Dubai that day and her nanny had to go back to the Philippines last week because her mother was ill. So there was no one to pick up Tommy and Alice. Joan can’t function without her nanny. It’s hilarious. We fed everyone at the club again. Thank goodness it’s half price for us.
Thursday the Prep team provided breakfast. I brought waffles, as always. Usually Stuart is very competitive with these things, but he could only manage bringing bread, butter, jam and our toaster. I’m sure he will pull out the stops at some stage.
After school we raced to the club to watch England destroy the US in the Rugby World Cup. We didn’t stay long after the game. We came home and Cathy and Sean came over and we ordered curry.
Friday we headed to Abu Dhabi so Jack could buy an Apple Watch with some of his birthday money. He was so excited. He thinks he’s so grown up, but emotionally he’s still a little boy. On the way home he got a phone call from a number he didn’t recognize. The boy on the other end said ‘hey, mother f***er’ and then hung up. The next time the call came through I answered it. There was a bit of noise and then he hung up. We then texted the number from Jack’s phone and said that we had his number and if he ever called or messaged Jack again we would call the police and file a charge of harassment and the use of foul language. It’s a VERY serious offense. I ended up saving the contact into my phone and then going to an app called WhatsApp. If someone has the app it will show you a picture of the person. I was able to find out what boy called him. I would message the pertinent people the following morning as we are asked not to email on Fridays.
When we got back from Abu Dhabi we went to Cathy’s for dinner. We hadn’t properly seen her new place and we never go to hers to eat, so it was time. The kids took their electronics and were fine until about 7:30, then the witching hour started and they started to lose the plot. We left for home and showers. Stuart ended up going to bed just after Jack did. I stayed up to watch television.
Saturday morning I was up at 6:30 am. I came downstairs and did a bit of work for the next week of school. I wanted to also write the email to the Head of Pastoral Care and Jack’s House Master. I told them the story and basically told them I just wanted them to be aware of the situation. I was emailed back almost immediately saying they would alert the Head of the Senior School and the Head Master, who is like the superintendent of the school. I was shocked, but thrilled, at how seriously he was taking this. Technology might be the best and worst thing that has happened to our society. We monitor Jack’s phone use at all times. I check his messages every evening. Time will tell what will happen to the offender.
We spent most of the day watching the Star Wars movies and the Jurassic Park films. Jack went to Ian’s for a while in the afternoon and Millie played upstairs. Stuart made meatloaf for dinner which was delicious, but not according to Millie though. Will that child ever eat anything but potatoes?
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