My mornings used to be relaxing

I love my morning ritual. I wake up a good hour before my kids need to get up (yet a full hour after my husband rises) and have that entire time to myself. I get my coffee fix, walk the dog then rush to my computer to see who has thought of me via email during my slumber. I can't quite explain the rush I get from seeing a number under the mailbox indicating that is how many messages I have received. Almost akin to receiving that pile of mail on your birthday - but every day!

But my school district has made me want to avoid the computer in the morning like a lukewarm cup of coffee. They send Edline reports every single morning. Edline, Blackboard, Parents In Touch, etc. They are all the same thing. They are your kids' current grades, assignments, homework, test grades, projects, missing work, cafeteria dues, parking lot rules, library fines...pretty much everything you would ever want to know about your child and school.

In theory, this is great. You can see every bit of information about your child's school progress in one glance. Awesome. But who wants to see this in black and white first thing in the morning? Invariably, I will see someone didn't turn in homework, got a 77 on a test and owes $66 in lab fees. And this is just one kid! Multiply this times three - and you can see our mornings don't get off to a good start.

The husband says don't read them first thing in the morning. In his black and white world - this works. But they are still there in my inbox and the number 3 will stare back at me biding me to open the mail until I give in and read the reports.

Of course, we can back to my school days. I didn't tell my parents anything - nor did the school. I didn't want them to know anything and they probably didn't want to know, either! But, it made me responsible for everything. A failing grade was mine alone - my parents bore no responsibility for it. I had to deal with the consequences of not turning in homework, projects, assignments and permission slips. If I brought home a sub par report card - I knew my ass was going to be at home for the next nine Friday and Saturday nights. Perhaps not studying - but certainly not raising hell with my friends.

What's the compromise? Hell if I know. Let me know if you do! Until then a big number 3 will glare at me all day.