Words, Words, Words, Words

Yesterday was Charlie's Commencement ceremony. He is now a high school graduate.

Because these things are, in the end, frightfully boring, I didn't cry. Much. I got a bit teary eyed at the end when they all threw their hats in the air and cheered.

During the principal's speech all I could think was 'Ascend already' but no one I was sitting with would have gotten the Buffy reference, so I posted it on Facebook.

It wasn't a terrible ceremony, though, all things considered, and it was well over by 9pm so that was good.

And now he's done. Grown. Officially a college student. He's enrolled at the local community college, and he's going to be an Accounting Major.

When he graduated from 5th grade, he got a 'Presidental Award for Academic Achievement.' When he graduated from 8th grade, he got another one. And he got another one yesterday. I'm really proud of him.

And here's Charlie. Remember when he was blond? And little?

Charlie doing a 'news broadacast' from the Haddonfield Fine Arts and Crafts Festival this week

He did a pretty good job. As a former college DJ, I am rather proud! :)

Graduation was lovely. I didn't cry quite as much as I thought I would, but it was a close thing. He got two awards! One from the Mark Newbie PTA - that was his grade school. Every elementary school picked two students who had gone to that school and awarded them for outstanding achievement, and Charlie won. He got a certificate and $50.00!

Then he got the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. He got that after the 5th grade too, but this time it's signed by a president I actually like.

The principal of the High School welcomed them as the class of 2015. THAT made me cry.

So, poor Charlie was heartbroken on Friday because he didn't get a 'named' part in the Play "High School Musical" (Junior). He was cast as a 'rebel' which, as near as I can figure, is one of the groups in the cafeteria who sing Status Quo, which is actually a really cool song.

He was crying on the phone when I spoke to him that afternoon, which always breaks my own heart, and he insisted he wasn't going to do the show. Fortunately the director 'gets' Charlie' and apparently spent some time on Friday calming him down, and gave him the weekend to think it over before quitting.

I asked friend on my FB - many of whom are actors - to send Charlie encouraging messages to convince him to do the show, which they did, and I talked to him quite a bit this weekend about how it will be fun no matter what and it's a good experience, so as of this morning he said he was going to do the show.

I had to laugh, though, when I came home on Friday he was sitting on the sofa with the big bucket of Cookie Dough I had, eating it with a spoon, the very picture of abject misery.

His new friend spending the night on Friday went a long way in improving his mood, too. That was nice. His friend wants to be a comic artist when he grows up, and Charlie likes writing stories, so they've decided to team up and make a comic of their own one day. The next Neil Gaiman and Dave McLean, maybe?

Charlie's still having issues at school. I think I'm on top of it, mostly, but it is so frustrating.

I'm meeting with the parents of the girl who keeps accusing Charlie of stalking her - this I don't know what to do about - she recently said he chased her around the park. He said he saw her in the park, but didn't chase her. I'm inclined to believe him, but what if I'm wrong? I'm his mother, of course I want him to be right.

But generally I can tell when he lies, because he's not very good at it. And he said he saw her in the park and though 'ah, (girl's name) but didn't 'chase' her.

I really don't know what to do. I'm so afraid this is going to screw him up for life, and then he'll never be able to have a normal relationship.

I know kids his age can be extremely sexualised, but he's not, and sometimes I think the father is really assuming more, well, 'R' rated things than are actually happening, you know? Like the whole Katy Perry thing on Sesame Street. People got all up in arms because they thought she looked 'sexy' and it would affect the kids, when, at 2 years old, they don't know what 'sexy' even is.

All that being said, he's also gotten in trouble for fighting with the girl who's his 'old girlfriend' from last year. She's taken to being mean to him, and he's responding in kind, probably disproportionately so, and I need to find a way to teach him to defend himself without stooping to her level.

Plus I don't like the idea of him being mean. I'm not raising him that way. Hopefully.

Anyway...just a morning rant before I go off to work where I'm shut away from my beloved LJ. Sigh.

I'm sure you were all just losing sleep over the fact I hadn't put up any photos of Charlie in his Halloween costume.

I shall remedy that now.



He is dressed as Albido from Ben Ten Alien Force. Albido is the 'evil Ben' a doppelganger from another planet, or something - Ben has black hair, so Albido has white; Ben's jacket is green so Albido's is red. (Not sure how that's 'opposite', but whatever.)

Once again the Halloween Spirit smiled upon me and I found the jacket at Goodwill for under 3 dollars, and, as usual, My Brilliant Friend kirathaune stepped in to help me, and fixed it up so it looked just like the real jacket.

Charlie was thrilled with the result.

( Couple more photos under the cut )

I never really got acne as a kid which meant, with all the other body image problems I had as a teenager - too short, to skinny, no boobs - at least I didn't have to add pimples to the list.

I had hoped that Charlie inherited my skin, but , alas, I think he got his father's because he is starting to get spots.

I just spent way too long in the facial clenser aisle at the store trying to figure out what would be best for him, because, as I mentioned, I never had to worry about buying any of that acne cleaning stuff.

I wound up with the store-brand version of Stridex.

Any suggestions from any acne sufferers of yore? Any advise you could give me that I can pass on to Charlie?

I was watching Ghost Adventures this morning, and they were involved in a Civil War reenactment at Gettysburg before going on to ghost hunt. Charlie was watching with me, and as the soldiers fell from gunshot wounds he turned to me, looking a little concerned, and asked me what they were doing.

I explained about how people like to dress up and reenact famous battles from wars. 'But are they really dead?' he asked me.

'No, they're just pretending. It's like acting.'

'Oh, like the thing my dad and I saw in Germantown.' he said, light dawning. He was relieved, and got up to go 'check his Facebook.' as he walked out of the room he was still talking about the pretend soldiers, ending with 'it's not like that they are serial killers.'

My parents gave him a $100.00 bill. He was thrilled beyond the telling of it.



This is his cake. Yes, I know the colours are a bit 'Christmassy' but he wanted a 4 leaf clover, and he wanted red on it. I think the decorator did a nice job.

He's very happy to be 13.