Fourth graders at my son’s elementary school conduct their own progress report conferences. They prepare for weeks and it would appear that they are getting graded on how convincing they are at being a CEO, judging by how take charge Vincent was. I did the very best Mature Mom I could muster. I didn’t want to embarrass him. He is silly at home, but when he is out he is all business. I have learned that about him and work very hard at playing along. Although, sometimes, like at this conference, I slip up.

When it was time to get dressed for the conference I asked Vincent, “Does this look okay?” I was wearing a dress shirt, a pair of my husband’s old jeans with a big hole where his keys in the thigh pocket burrowed through the denim, a baseball cap that matched my blouse, and brown high-top sneakers.

With your second kid, you’re done dressing up for these things. You just want to be yourself. You’ve done your time as the perfect parent with the first one. Who needs to put on any false pretenses with the second?...[more HERE]

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