Motherhood Fail

Motherhood Fail

I think it looks better with a hashtag so: 

#MotherhoodFail

As you all know from reading this blog, I am the perfect Mother!

(If I'm not perfect then I don't post it and you don't read it so, that means in your eyes I am the perfect Mother. wink!)

So with me being the perfect Mother, imagine what I felt like when both kids were in tears just minutes after getting off the school bus.

Lauren came in the house and immediately told me she got a 75% on her Social Studies test.  She then broke down into tears and ran with her backpack upstairs to her room.

Minutes later Tyler realized he left his binder with his weekly homework in it at school.  He started blinking back the tears until he couldn't hold them back any longer.

(I swear I don't beat my kids about test scores and bringing homework home!)

So...

Regarding Lauren: 

When she was willing to talk we talked.  She already knew that C grades are not okay. (As and Bs are fine.)  C grades mean she did not pay enough attention in class or did not ask enough questions or study enough at home.  We talked about how she felt making a 75% (very sad and not good) and what she could do to improve her score on the next test (study harder with Mom and Dad and ask for help from her teacher.)  We left it at that and challenged her to make a better grade on the next test.

I think with her temperament/personality that was the best approach but I would love some advice.  L sometimes struggles to fully apply herself and I struggle with wanting to MAKE her apply herself more.  I need some suggestions on how to encourage her to take more ownership and pride in her effort and school work.  In other words how do I make her want to try her best because She wants to and not because I want her to?

So...

Regarding Tyler:

While he was blinking back tears I asked him if he wanted me to run him back to school so he could possibly get his binder.  He blinked yes and to school we went.  He found his binder in his desk and when we got home he went right to work on his homework.

(I think this was the right thing to do but does anyone think it would have been better to have him not be able to start his homework as a lesson on responsibility?)

Anyway, so...

eventually everyone calmed down and almost quit the crying.

My #MotherhoodFail wasn't over quite yet.

While doing his homework Tyler came to tears yet again.
(After I saw these tears I made him go get a snack.  The lack of food sometimes....)

T needed some help on his homework.  He could not think of any adjectives to describe the words: cherries, pie crust and pie.
(I didn't take a picture of his homework at this point but I edited the pic below to show what it looked like.)

He said he's never had a cherry before, he doesn't know what pie crust tastes like and he's never had a cherry pie.  If that isn't a #MotherhoodFail then I don't know what is.

So...
While the kiddos were at Taekwondo I ran to the store and bought some frozen cherries (no fresh available) and a cherry pie for Tyler to try.

4 inch Cherry Pie from Publix
(reheated at 350 degrees for 12 minutes)

Tyler with his slice of Cherry Pie and a dollop of Cool Whip.

I think he liked it.

I know he liked it!

And So...

His educated adjectives on cherries, pie crust, and pie:

Hopefully I redeemed myself a little bit from my #MotherhoodFail by serving a good and yummy lesson on Cherry Pie.