I Am a Wimp

I am a wimp when in comes to pain and a complete coward when it comes to the dentist. My biggest fear on Monday was that I had to go to the dentist by myself. I wanted John to come with me but the only appointment that I could get was too late in the afternoon and he had to go to work. My fears were in vain, however. They only looked at the tooth and took an x-ray. I was sent me home with a prescription for an antibiotic and two future appointments. I must return tomorrow morning to have a root canal redone on the tooth. The first one was done in Romania. I don't know if the Romanian dentist did not do a good enough job or what but the dentist said that decay caused the tooth to break and he thinks that it may be abscessed. I am not looking forward to tomorrow.

Gabriel Takes Driver's Ed

Today Gabriel finished the classroom portion of his Driver's Education class. It was 3 hours long each day for 2 weeks. He had a lot of homework, studying and tests. The course was given by a private driving school and there were 6 or 7 others in the class, all homeschoolers. This was his first experience in a classroom setting since 3rd grade. I am not sure who was more nervous, Gabriel or me. He had to pay for half of the cost of the course. We live in a day and age where kids are just given everything. John and I are firm believers that if someone has the privilege to drive such a dangerous machine, they should earn it. So he paid half. Anyway, one of the reasons that he was nervous was because he knew that if he failed, he would have to pay the entire cost of the course to take it again.

I have to wonder if other moms, homeschool or not worry like I do. Is my child ready? Have I done enough to prepare him to take classes from others (AKA "the real world")? I am glad to announce that he did really well and passed with flying colors! Congratulations to Gabe! Now on to the Behind the Wheel portion and a new set of concerns for a mom. My blogging friend, Karen from Surviving Motherhood, asked not long ago which stage of mothering was the hardest. I told her that I was loving the teen years. It was far easier than the sleepless nights with infants or dealing with the reading struggles that we had during the elementary years. But I might just have to change my mind. Watching them grow up, and all my fears that come with it, is a very difficult thing indeed.