Light's On, Nobody's Home

Earlier this morning, I was home doing some light housework and watching an old VHS tape of the best of the Dean Martin celebrity roasts...all to kill time before heading over to the elementary school before my third grader's recorder and chorus concert. At about 20 to 9 the phone rings. I recognize the number as one within the middle school phone system. Sigh. Teacher? Nurse?

Neither. Disciplinary dean. (Big sigh.) He started the sentence with "your son" and I had to stop him to ask which one, since I have two in the middle school. Son #2, a.k.a. Mr. We Often Don't Think About the Consequences When We Are Doing Something That Seems Like Fun.

Let's back up in time for a minute. Some weeks ago, he wheedled his dad into buying a mini laser pointer off the counter at the local 7-11 (five bucks, I think) with the caveat that he doesn't do anything stupid with it. Of course he's been hollered at several times to stop pointing it at the TV screen, a piece of paper that someone's trying to read, etc. So now, when you guess that he got into trouble for doing something with it at school this morning, you'll be correct.

Unbeknownst to me, he brought the wretched thing to school (strike 1) and he took it out during class (strike 2) and allowed a buddy of his to hold it (three strikes, yer out). The buddy pointed it at another kid, who had to go to the nurse because his eye had a burning sensation. The nurse said the kid was fine, thank goodness, but we also have the issue of disrupting class and having to take the time to go down and sit in the dean's office for a while. Sigh.

The dean said that there would be no disciplinary consequences, to which I responded, "That's what you think. Wait 'til his father gets home." I told him that the least of my son's problems would be that he wouldn't see the laser pointer again, and he informed me that he'd confiscated it. I told him to keep it -- one problem solved. Making up the class work will be the other problem.

Hubby was amused when I called him on his cell to advise about the situation. He's all set to go to work on Mr. Bad Judgment when he gets home from school. Then I get to find out what happened when I get home from work. Heh heh.