Sometimes when we talk about Monkey with co-workers or other parents it’s really clear that we reside in a totally different world. Sometimes it makes me a little blue to be honest.
On Thursday, I was quickly wrapping up a project meeting so I could leave for Monkey’s IEP meeting when a co-worker asked if it was like a “PTA meeting.”
Heh, no. So, while I stuffed papers into my bag and thanked people for coming, I explained what an IEP is and she said…
“Oh! How cute!”
I stopped in my tracks, turned to look at her and…laughed. Several people stared at her like she had two heads but how can you not laugh at that?
My response was, “Not really. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, actually.”
Cute?! I think I usually hear, “That’s nice that they do that,” which is an okay thing to say when you are trying to process all of the information I’ve just thrown at you.
So funny and so sad all at the same time. I truly laughed out loud at this! A PTA meeting…HAHAHAHAHA! I think I usually just say ‘conference’…I ought to try ‘IEP’ on someone and see what happens…
I found out the other day that my co-worker who uses the R word has a special needs kid as his wife was talking about how (only) she needed to be on their IEP confercence call. The world is a funny place.
Lisa, the word is just so pervasive…I’ve heard kids with intellectual disabilities use the R word.
I mostly see situations with one parent attending these meetings. We are fortunate enough that we have the flexibility for us to both attend and we have people around who can watch the little Monkey while we do. They plan these meetings in the middle of a work day, they stretch on for hours and a lot of times the parents are marginalized by the rest of the team. It’s not a very family-friendly set up.
I also think that if we fell into the more traditional pattern of Duhdee working out of the home we’d have a harder time of it. My co-workers EXPECT me to be at these meetings. I’m the mom. No one has ever said, or implied, “Well, can’t your husband just do it.” I have heard comments when men in the office take time off for family things. I know of TWO men who took their paternity leave in the last 5 years. When one of my co-worker’s kids had surgery to repair a hernia, he was here. There are definitely some societal pressures that come into play.
Of course, your co-worker also just kinda sounds like a tool…so maybe that’s it too, lol.