D' Diligence

This just in...

By the way, I am grumpy...have a cold...

Car ride home from school, about 10 minutes ago. 

Me to Joe:  "You ordered the school lunch for the field trip tomorrow. Right?"  (We filled out forms for the all day hike a couple of weeks ago.  My mind is already carb-counting-out his lunch and trying to settle on some sort of basal reduction plan that may or may not work depending on the Universe's alignment and 'tude tomorrow...oh, and Joe's growth hormones, exertion level...hikes have notoriously left me a wreck in the past.  My worry of losing Joe in the woods connected to lethal amounts of insulin dripping into his body is a hard habit to shake.  He hikes fast.  I am usually clambering up or down some mountain paces behind him...yelling for him to slow down...it has been like this for years... yes, it is a little embarrassing)

DUH-faced Joe: "Mom!  You did not tell me to hand in the forms."

*internally going all kinds of ballistic*

Let me tell you the system.  The school sends home a folder.  Every.Friday.  The folder has two sides.  One side is labeled "home" and one side is labeled "school".  So the forms to view and complete are in the "home" side of the folder.  I view them.  I complete them.  I then put them in the "school" side of the folder.  The folder then makes it's way to school via Joe's backpack.  Now, I don't know how the folder traverses the school from this point on, but I am assuming that some-how, some-way those forms get to where they need to get. Hopefully the issue here is that Joe forgot about those particular forms on that particular week a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully he is all set to go...for tomorrow.  Hopefully, I am frustrated for no reason.

Me:  "Joe the forms were in the folder." (firm, no-nonsense voice)

Joe:  "Ahhh .... what folder?" (mind you, there is only this one folder in Joe's life right now)

Me:  "Joe, this is your job.  I put the papers in your folder two weeks ago.  It had your permission form.  It had your menu choices.  It let them know that I am riding the bus and going on the field trip with you.  I am gonna blow a gasket on ya."

"And ...did you turn in your book order?"

*his blank expression spoke for him...he forgot to turn that in today*

"Fine.  If you don't hand in the book order, you don't get the books.  That is a logical consequence."  Using tactical parenting lingo while actually parenting is most likely not smart.  I am giving him an unfair advantage.

We pulled into the driveway.  I had, finally, calmed.

Bridget, Joe and I settle into the kitchen.  I look over Joe's daily diabetes log. We are still struggling with managing a large drop from pre-recess to post-recess.  At this point, I hesitate before looking at the numbers...depressing.

Joe notices me looking at his numbers.

Joe:  " I was double-downing before recess..." (he was 108 while Dexter showed the rapid drop)

Joe continued on:  "I didn't go for an Oreo~boost.  I needed fast-acting sugar for that number ... with the double-down and all.  I went for Skittles".

Joe's day-in-the-life of being a normal, forgetful nine year old boy while showing D' diligence.