My eldest child took the ACT yesterday.\u00a0 It was nerve racking for me as I worried about whether or not I had taught her enough, and for her as she took her first standardized test.\u00a0 She put so much pressure on herself as she walked around repeatedly telling me that this test could mean she gets into the college she wants or not and all the ways that not getting in<\/i> would ruin her life.<\/p>\n
It all culminated in the moment in the car as I waited to drop her off and she realized that she had no pencil sharpener.\u00a0 \u201cI was supposed to bring one.\u00a0 Do we have time to go back home and find one? I\u2019m not sure where it is, but I need to look.\u201d\u00a0 Which left me wondering\u2026.didn\u2019t they have pencil sharpeners somewhere in the school where she was taking the test?\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine an entire school with no pencil sharpeners\u2026.but it has been 20 years since I was in high school\u2026\u2026\u2026.maybe they just use something else now?\u00a0 It made me a bit nostalgic for a simple #2 pencil.\u00a0 I missed those guys for a second\u2026.and then she told me to stop being dumb.\u00a0 We have a whole box of them in the drawer back home.<\/p>\n
As she told me for the 3rd time that she was definitely going to throw up, I told her to just breathe.\u00a0 It would be okay.\u00a0 She could always take the test again.\u00a0 It was not a life or death thing.\u00a0 It\u2019s just one test.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut mom\u2026..pencil sharpener?\u00a0 I only have 4 sharp pencils.\u00a0 What if they break?\u201d<\/p>\n
I sighed a bit and rolled my eyes a bit\u2026.and completely understand her paranoia.\u00a0 She is her father\u2019s child.\u00a0 The worrying that makes him a brilliant Computer Guy was making her nuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust find a nerd boy or an art kid.\u201d I told her.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll have pencil sharpeners.\u00a0 If you ask nicely, they may let you use them\u2026.okay\u2026they may sharpen your pencil for you, because they\u2019re never going to let you<\/i> use their <\/i>pencil sharpener.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Sit by them.\u00a0 Stay away from the cute jocks.\u00a0 They won\u2019t have sharpeners, and will be lucky if they have enough pencils\u2026.they\u2019ll be looking to bum a sharpener themselves. Go with the nerds or the art geeks.\u00a0 They\u2019re your best bet\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..or the swishy boy.\u00a0 He\u2019ll need one for his eyeliner.\u201d<\/p>\n
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My eldest child took the ACT yesterday.\u00a0 It was nerve racking for me as I worried about whether or not I had taught her enough, and for her as she took her first standardized test.\u00a0 She put so much pressure on herself as she walked around repeatedly telling me that this test could mean she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n