Ben16andDumb
The first call came in around 9:30 am, just as the treatment room was filling up with patients coming in for their Chemotherapy.
"This is the school nurse calling from Albany High School. I'm calling to tell you that your son punched a wall this morning and is now in my office. His right hand hurts, is swollen and starting to bruise."
"Can I please speak to my son?" "Mom, my hand really hurts, can you come get me?" "Why did you punch the wall?" "It doesn't matter, we'll talk about it later." "Okay let me talk to the school nurse again." I hear the phone being handed over.
"Is he in trouble? No, then please send my boy back to class. Give him some ice and send him on his way. Thank you." And I hung up the phone. Ben being an idiot does not equal urgency on my part. I notified his father. For the next hour my phone binged every few minutes as Ben urgently sent me text messages about his hand. I reminded him that he was with his Dad this week and he could always discuss it with his father if he didn't like my response.
The next call came at 11 am.
"This is the school nurse again and Benjamin is back in my office. His hand looks worse and I think he needs an x ray." The poor nurse had no idea what was coming next. "Do you know what I do for a living?", I asked. "I give chemotherapy to women with cancer. Ben hurting himself in a fit of temper does not mean I am going to interrupt my day or the day of my patients. Continue giving him ice and send him back to class. Thank you for calling." After a few sputters she finally muttered, "well that puts things into a different perspective". The rest of my day was filled with text messages from Ben, but no further calls from the school nurse.
After work I met Ben at his girlfriend's house (where he was receiving some TLC, but no ice) to look at his hand. It didn't take x ray vision for me to figure it was broken. It looked terrible. "Why did you punch a wall?" Ben and Sarah both started to laugh. "Well Mom...... Bosse and Angel were holding me down and tickling me and they wouldn't stop during study hall and I got really mad and punched the wall." Their laughter continued. I did not see the humor in the situation. Where was the f....... teacher and how f....... stupid was my son? Ben's Dad then pulled up in his car and I left him in the capable hands of his father and went home. The next day I escaped to the mountains to try to find peace and avoid my beloved, idiotic son and his constant text messages.
I went hiking with the Adirondack Mountain Club and we arrived at the base of the mountain at 10 am and started the steady climb up. I had my phone with me in my backpack and on the drive to the trail head, it had remained blessedly quiet. Ben had an appointment with an orthopedist at 10:45. It took 2 hours to get to the top of the mountain. I opened my backpack to get my lunch and check my phone, secretly hoping I wouldn't have service, but no such luck. Ben had sent the following message. "It's not broken. I have a Boxer's Fracture and a cast." Is he actually that dumb? Really, I can't make this stuff up.
So Ben has a blue cast with the name Sarah and hearts scribbled all over it. It covers his forearm down to the tip of his two outside fingers and his inability to move them is driving him crazy. It's his right hand and he has a hard time writing. The school allowed him extra time and a computer for his final exams. Soccer is out for four weeks. Running isn't happening because he doesn't want sweat pouring down his arm. It's starting to smell. Driver's Ed is on hold. Sucks to be him, boo hoo.
Apparently this is a "boys will be boys thing" and he is not alone in his stupidity. Will he learn his lesson? I have no idea. My new work computer password ................ Ben16andDumb. That kind of says it all.
"This is the school nurse calling from Albany High School. I'm calling to tell you that your son punched a wall this morning and is now in my office. His right hand hurts, is swollen and starting to bruise."
"Can I please speak to my son?" "Mom, my hand really hurts, can you come get me?" "Why did you punch the wall?" "It doesn't matter, we'll talk about it later." "Okay let me talk to the school nurse again." I hear the phone being handed over.
"Is he in trouble? No, then please send my boy back to class. Give him some ice and send him on his way. Thank you." And I hung up the phone. Ben being an idiot does not equal urgency on my part. I notified his father. For the next hour my phone binged every few minutes as Ben urgently sent me text messages about his hand. I reminded him that he was with his Dad this week and he could always discuss it with his father if he didn't like my response.
The next call came at 11 am.
"This is the school nurse again and Benjamin is back in my office. His hand looks worse and I think he needs an x ray." The poor nurse had no idea what was coming next. "Do you know what I do for a living?", I asked. "I give chemotherapy to women with cancer. Ben hurting himself in a fit of temper does not mean I am going to interrupt my day or the day of my patients. Continue giving him ice and send him back to class. Thank you for calling." After a few sputters she finally muttered, "well that puts things into a different perspective". The rest of my day was filled with text messages from Ben, but no further calls from the school nurse.
After work I met Ben at his girlfriend's house (where he was receiving some TLC, but no ice) to look at his hand. It didn't take x ray vision for me to figure it was broken. It looked terrible. "Why did you punch a wall?" Ben and Sarah both started to laugh. "Well Mom...... Bosse and Angel were holding me down and tickling me and they wouldn't stop during study hall and I got really mad and punched the wall." Their laughter continued. I did not see the humor in the situation. Where was the f....... teacher and how f....... stupid was my son? Ben's Dad then pulled up in his car and I left him in the capable hands of his father and went home. The next day I escaped to the mountains to try to find peace and avoid my beloved, idiotic son and his constant text messages.
I went hiking with the Adirondack Mountain Club and we arrived at the base of the mountain at 10 am and started the steady climb up. I had my phone with me in my backpack and on the drive to the trail head, it had remained blessedly quiet. Ben had an appointment with an orthopedist at 10:45. It took 2 hours to get to the top of the mountain. I opened my backpack to get my lunch and check my phone, secretly hoping I wouldn't have service, but no such luck. Ben had sent the following message. "It's not broken. I have a Boxer's Fracture and a cast." Is he actually that dumb? Really, I can't make this stuff up.
So Ben has a blue cast with the name Sarah and hearts scribbled all over it. It covers his forearm down to the tip of his two outside fingers and his inability to move them is driving him crazy. It's his right hand and he has a hard time writing. The school allowed him extra time and a computer for his final exams. Soccer is out for four weeks. Running isn't happening because he doesn't want sweat pouring down his arm. It's starting to smell. Driver's Ed is on hold. Sucks to be him, boo hoo.
Apparently this is a "boys will be boys thing" and he is not alone in his stupidity. Will he learn his lesson? I have no idea. My new work computer password ................ Ben16andDumb. That kind of says it all.
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