...And Then He Kissed Me

Good news all around. The kid with the gun was caught on other charges and is going to be spending a significant amount of time in a confined setting. His friends don't seem to want to continue his grudge against James.

I did have a rough day yesterday with two of my favorite kids in fifth hour. I ended up pulling each of them into the hallway and calling home. I hate to do that, but it lets the kids know that I won't be talked to in a disrespectful manner, and it makes the parents aware of any problems. Some parents are no help, but most really want to be involved with the kids' lives. Last night, there was a dance, and I was really dreading going because I knew they'd be there and they'd still be angry.

Immediately after I arrived, Sean came up and hugged me and said "I'm really sorry about today". The really cool thing was that he did it in front of others and he was sincere. I thanked him with tears in my eyes. Later, Brad did the same thing. I told him that his apology meant more to me than he would ever know, and I meant it. Maybe I'm not having the same successes with this group of kids as I did last year, but you've got to celebrate each minor victory.

I went out with James' dad last night. We were planning to take the boys to Chicago this weekend to visit their (barf) mom, so he called while I was at the dance to make plans. I asked what he was doing, and invited him to go out with us afterward. We went out with everyone from work and had a great time. We left before midnight to pick up the boys from a teen club. James and John had gotten tired of waiting, and walked away, so we spent the next hour looking for them. James wasn't answering his phone, and I was really worried. Finally, we heard from them; they were at a cousin's house, and their dad was going to go get them. I said goodbye, and then he kissed me :-)