The niece has picked up skateboarding in the past year or so. Last year for Christmas I sent her a board because the “baby” board she was using wasn’t very good. She didn’t bring it with her when she came here this go around and it’s already been packed up and sent on its way to Germany. So she decided to use the gift cards/money that she received this Christmas to pick out a new board.

She was super excited to learn that there’s a skate park in our town. To go though, you have to have a waiver on file with the city and buy a pass. The park is only open at night and on the weekends and I took care of the paperwork so she could go last night. She had been bugging the hell out of me to go since she got the skateboard on Tuesday.

We got there last night and the place was crawling with teenaged boys. No girls and the boys were zooming all over the place. Sylvie was to nervous to go out there amongst everyone so we decided to just scope the place out and come back this afternoon. (Some days skateboarders can use the facility from 4 to 6 and some days from 6 to 8. The place is also used by kids on bikes.) We decided to tell Sweety and the boys that I wouldn’t let her skate because it was too cold and I didn’t want to sit in the cold. She was afraid the boys would tease her for being a chicken. But we agreed that we’d go today as soon as the place opened because maybe it would be less crowded.

And we did.

When I picked her up from school today, I asked her what I ask the kids every day:

What did you have for lunch?
A Slushie.
A Slushie? Didn’t you have one of those yesterday because it was the first day back to school?
Yeah.
And don’t you like to have one to “celebrate” Friday so you’ve earmarked tomorrow for one?
Yeah.
Why did you have one today? You need to eat real food.
Well, I knew you were talking to my Mom about me getting to stay the rest of the year and I figured she’d say no. Sooo…
So, you needed a Slushie to console yourself?
Yeah! To console myself!
Hrmph. Have real food tomorrow. No Slushie.
Hey! Did you know they have mochas at school?
Hey! Did you know I can look on the computer and see what you’ve eaten every day?
Really? That’s…not cool. Not cool at all, Aunt Anna.

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I spoke with my sister and Sylvie will stay here until the end of the school year. We go on vacation every year to stay in a cabin near my Mom’s house and we always go pick up Sylvie so she can go with us. She’ll go with us this year and “say goodbye to everyone” (her words) and then will go to Germany the end of June or July.

I. Am. So. Glad. I’m beyond relieved that my sister was okay with this.

I know it was hard on Sylvie (and me!) not having a definite date for anything. “whenever we can get your passport and ticket” isn’t very reassuring to a kid. This way, we know the time that she’s leaving and she can actually live here and do some extracurricular activities instead of being in limbo. This reminds me that I now need to find somewhere close by to rent a cello.

See this happy baby?

How can this little baby take what is probably no more than 4 ounces of milk going down and turn it into a half-gallon coming up? It’s her superpower. I am pleased that she’s learned to power launch spit-up over my shoulder and miss her own clothing. I think she’s doing it that way because she hates to change clothes but loves to barf. I need to get a rubber sheet for our mattress.

In that photo she’s smiling at the ceiling fan. We call it her best friend. I felt like a neglectful parent for letting her lie down under a home appliance for amusement but have since found out that babies in general are enamored with ceiling fans. So, that makes me feel better. It’s not like I plop her under it with no other stimulation. I’m not running a creepy orphanage here.

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Right now I’ve got a tit flopped out, a baby asleep on the Milk Bar (what we call the pillow I put her on when she’s eating) on my lap and I can’t quit crying.

I talked to my sister this morning. She got to Germany yesterday and she’s not being deployed with her unit. So my niece will be going over there sooner rather than later. This way, she will be able to go to school over there and hopefully make some friends before this summer.

I know she’s not my kid. But damn, in my heart she may as well be and I’m really not liking the idea of her being somewhere that I’m not able to hop in the car and drive to.

8 Comments | In: excuse me while i scream, the niece | | #

My fantastical niece is being bullied at school.

I guess for awhile some girls had been excluding her from things but it went to a whole new level.

She got some new shoes last week that she loved and wore them to school. She did NOT know (and why would it matter anyway?) that one of the “popular” girls (to be known as BadSeed) in the class had the same shoes. BadSeed and a few of her friends shoved her to the ground on the playground and stomped on her feet until her shoes were dirty while they called her a copycat.

The next day, the teacher gave the class a speech about how everyone should be nice to each other and blah, blah, blah. Sylvie said that kids were nice to her on the playground that one day but now nobody plays with her. As she said, “Aunt Anna, I just don’t have any friends.”

When her parents asked Sylvie why she didn’t fight back, she said it was because she was afraid of being suspended. They told her if she got suspended from school for defending herself that she wouldn’t be in trouble at home. I guess BadSeed was physically picking on Sylvie a few days later so Sylvie said she “slammed BadSeed into the table a few times”. Sylvie has heard the story about how I took a rock to school in my bookbag and used it to whack a kid upside the head – I told her to NOT do anything like that.

Sylvie and her mom were talking and the subject of college came up. Sylvie got a weird look on her face and said, “Mom…what if there’s a grownup version of BadSeed at college?!” Gah. I am so pissed off that I want to drive to Oklahoma and beat up a bunch of little fifth grade bitches.

My sister has started picking Sylvie up from school during lunch and bringing her home so she doesn’t have to wander the playground alone or risk getting ganged up on by a bunch of girls.

She’s kind of a tomboy and prefers to wear sweatpants and converse sneakers to school even though she has lots of nice “girly” clothes and would rather slap a headband on than fix her hair. My sister suggested that maybe if she dressed up a bit and ironed her hair that she would be more approachable to people. Sylvie said if people didn’t want to be her friend because of the pants she had on that she didn’t need them to be her friend any other time. Smart kid.

It still makes me sad. Next year she’ll be going to a new school and I’m hoping that by being around some new kids that she’ll make some friends.

30 Comments | In: excuse me while i scream, the niece | | #