Way past smile and all the way to Joy-but I'm lazy and don't wanna dig up that thread
I spent several hours today going to H's high school and J's middle school, and even when the teacher had some bad news (missing assignments, disorganization), ALL of them said something like "What a great/sweet kid, wish I had a whole room of them". That makes me feel like I've done something right (their dad, too).
Even the bad news was fixable-the teachers gave me a list of whatever they were missing, and the online site to check their work for the future. So I feel that even after a rough time, we can be back on track.
Even better was H's art teacher's news. She's top of the class in art and has a natural gift for it. Her teacher will help her prepare for a scholarship-fully paid-when the time comes. I can't force her to go, but I want her to have all the options known.
Maybe it's reading MerryFairy's posts, but I feel like floating
. I feel cautiously optimistic, even with significant challenges ahead. I hope I can be up to it.