A Strange Schedule...

I was taking a look at my calendar early last week, trying to fill in my mental schedule with all of the little things I needed to remember to do. It was Teacher Appreciation Week at the First Little Nguyen's school, Tuesday was Pajamas & Pizza Day for the Second Little Nguyen, our usual Wednesday storytime, the boys' dentist appointments on Thursday, and Valentine's Day parties for both boys on Friday....lots going on.

Then, amidst all of my colored scribbles, I noticed some strange, little-boy handwriting on Friday the 13th. It read,"PMS 8 p.m." PMS? I didn't remember scheduling PMS! Why would I deliberately schedule PMS? Recognizing these foreign scrawls to be those of my firstborn son, I began to wonder, Umm...did I miss something? Does he know more than I think he knows? Wait...he shouldn't know THAT yet! Remembering what my sisters have always told me about children and reproductive knowledge (never give TMI!), I casually called him over the side of the refrigerator.

"Umm, buddy, can you tell Mommy what this means," said the panicked mother to the First Little Nguyen as she pointed to the strange entry.

"Why do you need to know?" quipped the First Little Nguyen.

"Well, because I'm the Mommy and this is my calendar and I need to know what it means so in case something is supposed to happen at 8 p.m. on Friday the 13th, I will know what it is," said the mommy in a stern, what-the-%&#$-is-this-on-my-calendar tone of voice.

"Mommy, it means Power Miners Show at 8 p.m.! Remember, that mini LEGO movie that's supposed to show on Friday nights in February? That's the first night. You told me to write in on the calendar..." he explained to a frazzled mommy.

"Oh! PMS at 8 p.m. I understand now. Yes, I remember," the mommy replied, relieved.

"What did you think it meant, Mom?" asked the First Little Nguyen.

"Umm...I didn't really have any idea," the mommy fibbed. "Thanks for reminding me. I never would have thought it meant that."

"I just didn't write out the words because the box is little," he said. "So, can I stay up to watch it on Friday? It's only half an hour."

"Sure," said the mommy, quietly thanking God that The Dreaded Conversation didn't have to begin with this strange calendar entry.

So, I suppose the lesson learned from this story could be one of two things: 1) REMEMBER when your child, completely out-of-the-blue, asks to write something on your calendar, or 2) when your child starts wanting to write things on a calendar, maybe its time for his own!