Ms Fifikins

We have a guest staying from New Zealand this week whilst he attends a conference. Yesterday, we took advantage of Jasper playing footy at Trinity Beach to visit the beach for a paddle. The stinger nets are still out so even paddling was a little risky, but the water was warmish and the kids had fun.

I&J (the fish fingers as I dub them) have their moments, as do any sister and brother, but on the whole get along well. I do wonder however, if this photo could be captioned with them ganging up on their mother (I’ll hold her hand and you tickle her until she falls over in the water) or Imogen telling Jasper furfies (Yeah and see the sharks swim right up here…) or just a bit of bonding. I know which one I’ll go with!

I never had a 21st party as such. Mum arranged for an open house for my 21st as I had had a wedding 10 months earlier. I kinda feel missed out in some aspects, but that is for another post. My plan is to have a massive 42nd birthday party in (quite a!) few years time!

Anyway, I need t record certain incidents for my cherubs’ 21sts. If I play my cards correctly and they stay speaking to each other, I will be able to have Imogen’s 21st and Jasper’s 18th at the same time. God forbid they ask for separate parties that year! Anyway. Today’s story will be relayed at every major event- 21st, wedding, funeral…

I received a message at work today- “No urgency, please ring school regarding your son.” The no urgency bit always gets to me. It either means something so bad they don’t want to tell you or we are going to waste your time with something very trivial. Or you haven’t paid the fees!

So I ring. Tried to explain who I was, they still haven’t cottoned onto the fact I have reverted to my maiden name. As soon as I sad Jasper’s mum, there was a pause. “O thank-you for ringing back. I have Jasper just here in the office.” You know a million and one things race through your mind. At first I wondered if he had worn his shorts with the holes in and no jocks, because he likes doing that! No, this was no uniform infringement. Now this is Jasper, just turned 7 and in year 2- a second grader.

“Ah yes, I have Jasper with me here now. You see he arrived at school this morning and then he and another lad went missing.”

“I see…” I replied in a quizzical fashion!

“Yes, as soon as we realised we sent out a search party. We found them up near the maintenance sheds near the pool.”

Now that is the other side of the senior school.

“He wasn’t smoking was he?” I asked. Another pause.

“No, but when they were found they ran away and hid again.”

By this stage I was stifling giggles. Not only did he wag school, but when caught he ran away and hid again!

“I see… but you obviously caught up with them?”

“Oh yes, and they are both here in the office now working. They will be here for the rest of the day.”

At least she didn’t want me to come and get him! She told me who the other student was. Didn’t mean a lot to me, but I probably would recognise him if I saw him. I said that it was a little out of character for Jasper, but nothing would surprise me that much.

I was told there was a note coming home. Then I realised Jasper was spending the night with his father. So I had to ring him and relay the story.

So tonight I ring Jasper. His father tells me that Jasper is not speaking to him because he saw the teacher. Teacher said it was out of character. I think the father was pleased to hear that!

“Hey sweetheart, I hear you were in some trouble at school.”

Another long pause. “How did you know, Mummy?”

Mother’s know everything, son! He went on to tell me he didn’t want to do it, but he was asked to and didn’t want to say no to his friend. I listened and tried not to giggle.

But the best bit, beyond me telling his sister and she thinking Jasper had so much cred, was finding out what Jasper had wagged. My son, the PK, had wagged Chapel! FTW!

No doubt Jasper, you will read this later and cringe, and maybe there will be some consequences after Mummy has spoken to teachers at school, but still, in my eyes you have heaps of spunk and I love you heaps!

When Immy started Prep we went all out for a hat. We raided the Sunday School cupboard and had feathers and flowers and little chickens and stuck little eggs all over some paper plate constructed thing. All with a big bow. She was thrilled with it.

The next year we did cardboard I think, shaped like a butterfly with egg wrappers for decoration. Ate the eggs on the way you see. Can’t remember her year 2 one, but it would have involved some effort. Then she hit middle primary and no more hats. But Jasper starts school!

Prep we got the huge sombrero, spray painted it green and stuck little chickens over it with a hot glue gun. Last year we hung Easter eggs like corks around his hat and this year I forgot about it until he was going to bed Wednesday night. Mother of the year award for me! So I ask him what he wants to do. Mentally I am picturing what I have and thinking that perhaps sometimes life was easier with a Sunday School cupboard!

Then Jasper starts laughing. He has a wicked laugh. He is laughing so much he can hardly talk. He is clapping and almost crying. This must be a good idea… “I know… hehe, Mum this is brilliant… hehe” I am hoping it doesn’t involve breaking into Spotlight at 8pm. “Mum, hehe, you’re going to love this… hehe… it is soooooo funny…” C’mon lad, spit it out! “We can go to google and get pictures of like Star Wars and Dr Who people and then draw bunny ears on them and glue them to a hat.” OK, I tell him. Leave the pictures with me and you go to bed and in the morning, before school, you can cut them out and decorate them if you wish.

So I googled. Found some very interesting images… Make sure the kids never use my laptop as the safe search function is off… Suitable ones were printed. He woke up early and decorated. Again more laughter when he declared that the bunny ears looked like poo because he used the brown pencil.

So he drew and cut and then I found some PVA glue and an old hat that mum had left up here.

This is the result:

I so hope the other mothers who were there (the ones who didn’t have to go to work yesterday) didn’t think that I had made it… You can tell the ones who have been made by parents… He was pleased with it. That is the main thing.

I told a colleague at work what had happened and he thought I had scarred my son for life letting him go with Dr Who and Star Wars. I reminded him that indeed the geeks will inherit the earth… That is a good enough Easter message I think.

Thank whoever he is hitting middle primary next year and there will be no more hats!