My mind is a dangerous place to be

My mind works in random circles and figure 8s.  For example, I was reading about the Grand Avenue Mall being put up for auction in downtown Milwaukee.  And seeing that, I started to think about when I was a kid, my mom was going on a bus shopping trip to the new downtown Milwaukee shopping mall.  It was a Saturday morning, and I had gymnastics. I told my mom I wasn't feeling well.  Apparently nobody believed me, because I got sent to gymnastics anyway. I didn't do much while there, because I was sick, but it was fundraiser candy pickup day, so I did get my candy.  On the way home, in the car with 6 kids (How was THAT ever safe? Especially when you remember not a one of us was wearing a seat belt, and the driver was usually somebody's "older" 16 year old sibling whose concept of safe driving meant tapping the car ceiling for good luck as we sped through a yellow light and lifting our feet over railroad tracks.), the 5 of us who weren't sick started to open up the M&Ms and chow down. Minutes later, I lost my chow. All over the car.  Good times.  At least it got me let off first.

But that got me thinking about why nobody believed I was sick. Especially since years later, while in 8th grade, I wasn't sick at all, but told everyone I was to avoid going to school where I was being bullied, I was believed. And I missed LOADS of school days.  And dropped out of everything I'd been involved in. Until the doctor finally figured out I wasn't sick (after a gazillion head x-rays - how soon before I get brain cancer from that?), and I was sent back to school.  With no resolution of the real problem by any authority figure, I'd like to add. But there weren't any bullying programs, or looking into things that might be wrong. If you barfed, you stayed home. If you didn't barf, you went to school. End of story.

Which makes me wonder if the bullying program I'm supposed to attend on my kid's behalf this semester is worthwhile? Or does experience being bullied and being the bully qualify you enough to see the signs in others? And in the end, does it even matter?  Some kids are just going to be mean to one another.  Will a parent seeing the signs make any difference? Kids are going to find a way to terrorize others some way or another, it'll just get more covert.  You don't pick on the obvious things, or do it in the obvious ways.

Which makes me wonder how chess club got to be cool at my kid's school. When I was in school, that, like glee club, was for dorks. Well, maybe it still is, (I still contend glee club is dorky) but a huge group seems to be involved in his school, so at least it's an acceptable level of dorkiness.  Or maybe it's like band. It's okay to be in when you're younger, but once you get old enough to have to wear stinky, unwashed marching band uniforms, it's just for dorks.  Regardless, C-man was all excited about chess club starting today. He had his trash talk comments all prepared, shouting "Desperado!" as he got on the bus. I wonder how far into his routine he'll get before he realizes chess is about playing the game, not trash talking like he and his dad play? I do know they'll have snacks.

I wonder if there will be M&Ms.