Lessons from the Seventeenth Week

Week 17 included Thanksgiving. That would be enough to make it a busy week, right? But we also experienced a mad dash to the Emergency Room, as my husband was suspected of meningitis. Also, we gave the kids three days off school. Last but not least, I decided to finally dive into the SAT/ACT/college admission universe. Let me take this in order.

Kids with fall decorations

Five years ago

First, I became fully aware that some people do not celebrate Thanksgiving. It amazes me, but as I delved more into this phenomenon, I realized it is based on historical revisionism and left-leaning positions when it comes to American politics. It’s a free country and people can do whatever they want. I am not stopping anybody from quitting or shaming Thanksgiving.

But it makes me sad. I wrote a newspaper column about it and that’s that. To each her own. We will continue to celebrate Thanksgiving in our family. Of course we teach our children Native American history and the tragic details of early European history in North America. Our children are older and we are moving away from the kindergarten version of what happened in New England in the 1600s. However, we will not read books or websites that make the Pilgrims look like greedy monsters.

Secondly, my husband tested negative for the flu, but had all kinds of flu-like symptoms. I drove him to a hospital. No meningitis. Thank God! Just the “pretty flu,” which is a virus that, apparently, tests negative for the flu but looks just like the flu. Aren’t you amazed by all these weird bugs we are dealing with these days?

Thirdly, I decided to give the kids Wednesday-Friday off this week, for my sake. I could not prepare a Thanksgiving meal, and teach them, and take them to classes outside the home at the same time. Plus, I was feeling a little burned out. If you feel that you are approaching that territory, take time off and be nice to yourself. I asked them to help peel potatoes and they both accidentally cut themselves with the peelers. So they learned how to peel potatoes and tend to a cut: cooking arts and health.

Last but not least, I have decided it was time to start studying about the college admission process. We do not believe everybody should go to college. But just in case our children settle upon a career that requires college, we shall do everything in our power to have the knowledge to guide them.

So right now I am reading a lot. Once I draw some preliminary conclusions, I will make sure to blog about what I find out.

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