At times, parenting really puts the "Let Them" approach to the test.
For example, my son's generally excellent teacher has a passive-aggressive habit of asking this: "Any potty training updates?" I wish that the graduate degree in education required a "Fight Passive Aggression" credit. It is especially tiresome to (a) recognize what the teacher is doing, (b) make an effort to pretend not to notice what the teacher is doing, and (c) answer the question in a cheerful, ingenuous way, as if I have just been asked about the weather "in my neck of the woods."
Then there is the sitter who texts that she cannot perform her duties tomorrow "because of a stomach bug." How difficult it is not to reply. "It's a two-hour gig, and the only requirement is that you keep the children alive. Show up, wear a mask, and put a cartoon on the TV."
Also, the "basketball coach" has a tantrum because my child has tipped over s bike. Thoughts spring to mind. "You have a college degree. Think through some better options for your personal bike storage...." Also, my Bea Arthur voice would like to make an offer: "I could dry your tears with a tissue....and fix you a tall glass of Kool-Aid...."
Instead, I stand quietly and nod with understanding. I take notes.
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