God is good even when you are not looking for him. This has been the case this April with my family. Everyone has been busy seeking other things. And still, God is there with us. 

I don't know about you, but I love the story of Easter. We celebrated at Christ. There were songs, prayers, poetry, testimonies, and His presence. God himself intervened in human history, humiliating himself by taking the form of a helpless infant, living a life in perfect conformity with his moral law, and dying an excruciating and shameful death on the Cross.I know that some consider this a vile doctrine, that what God allows to happen to Jesus makes him a moral monster. They fail to grasp the importance of the understanding that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. It is in that way that God himself pays the price for restoring humanity.

Or, as the Apostle John more poetically puts it: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

There is beauty in the ashes of humanity, and to believe is to take part in that beauty.

What were the members of my family seeking? Let's begin with Jordan. I think he was seeking glory. The child was playing soccer at the elementary school and he broke his arm. He was the goalie in a game. He was reaching up to catch the ball and he hit his arm on the goal post! He was in quite a bit of pain for a few days. We did manage to get him to the doctor, and the doctor put him in a cast. He was mopey for a day or two. He then realized that he could read all the web-toons he wanted, and now sits in front of screens whenever he has the chance! 

Aidan and Justin have finished midterms, and I think all mothers breathe a sign of relief when it is over. I know I did. Aidan was seeking high grades, and he did his best! He got 100% in quite a few subjects, which he was very proud of. He has three scores that were in the 90s. The lowest score was a class called ethics. Unfortunately, he does not feel like an ethical person since it was his lowest.

I just want to say that this was the quietest it has ever been for Justin and his midterms. He has been studying diligently at school four days of the week, and working two days a week. I am not sure if he has high scores, but it has been nice to not be consumed with worry about this child.

Justin has been seeking good meals. He has been ordering food from different places when he comes home from work on Friday and Saturday. Last Saturday, he ordered poutine from a small eatery called 'Two Hands Burger'. Well, he was in love with it! He ordered frozen french fries and gravy mix online. Apparently, I am supposed to melt cheese when Justin is making gravy. This was never something that I particularly enjoyed, but I love that poutine is a Canadian thing. 

I am going to end with a story about Aidan. He gave me an early Mother's Day gift on Friday. It was a foldable cut-out of delicate flowers. I kind of gasped when I saw it. There was a lovely, lovely note expressing his appreciation for his mother!

I appreciate all of these boys, and I thank God for them. Even when they are seeking other things, they are still a blessing! 

Let’s begin with Justin. It has been an adjustment with him going to university. I am trying to treat him like an adult, but he is not always acting like one. He leaves his dirty clothes and rubbish on the floor in his room. I am continually asking him to put things where they belong. He says, “Yes Mom”, but he does not actually put anything where it belongs.  Needless to say, his room at the end of the hallway is avoided. 

I think that most university students spend way too much time on YouTube watching ridiculous videos. Justin is no exception to this. The other night he told me that he identified with with being black and female. I assume that he watched something on YouTube and thought it would be funny to share that with me. I looked at him and said, “You are look male and caucasian!” He was amused by my comment and walked out of the kitchen. I do love this child’s sense of humor!  
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Have I told you this story? When Justin was about 5 years old, he liked cuddling with me. We were cuddling, and he looked up and said, “Mommy, we are having a moment!” I said, “Yes dear. We are having a moment” and laughed to myself. A little less than five minutes passed. “Mom, the moment is over! I am hot!” Of course, I let him get up, and I was laughing hysterically.

Aidan has been a very studious student through elementary school and this continues in middle school. He goes to class and then goes to study room after school. He eats dinner with us, and then spends about three hours studying in the evening. I suggested that he take Friday night off and come swimming. I could see the eyes darting back and forth. He was thinking if he could afford to do that. 
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I am more than glad that he is ambitious. I am not sure that it is normal to sit and study that much in grade 7. I am also thinking he is going to burn out with all the studying before he even gets to high school. I realize these are Canadian standards of what is normal for a 13 year-old boy to do as opposed to Korean standards. 

He also had a birthday this month! Chocolate cake, Andong chicken, and new airpods! He will be in his own little world for the next two months with those airpods.

Jordan has been a trooper over the past two weeks. He had COVID. He started to feel like crap on Saturday, running a fever and complaining a bit. He tested negative on Saturday, but positive rather late on Sunday afternoon. It was a weird week of sliding food into the library room. There would gasps of delight when the food was something he liked and absolutely nothing when the food was something that he did not like. Still, I love this child’s enthusiasm. He never complained, read every single comic book we have in the house, and he was able to deal with the heat in the room. I think my husband believes that the heat was going to help him sleep, so the temperature was turned up. I could see the relief on his face the following Sunday when he was told that he could eat with us. Lots of hugs were happening.
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Myself? It has been recommended that I put in a proposal for a new course. Many of my colleagues have been sweating through the paperwork to get new courses into the university’s portal system. I am working on something as we speak. And I am hoping to finish it this afternoon…

February has been a bit of blur of activity!  The boys have been busy with books and work. I took a class entitled Foundations of Women’s Ordination with the Nazarene Bible College, and I have done various things at church including Children's Church, attending a board meeting and our teachers meeting, and even a read-aloud seminar. Did you know that there are denominations that have grown out of Methodism that are quite positive about ordaining women? But let’s start with the boys… 

Let’s start with Justin. My first son has had some go-rounds during this break. When he finished SuNeung (Korean Scholastic Aptitude Test) he threw away a huge number of books and proceeded to spend most of his time on the PlayStation. Which game? I am not even sure of the name, but I do know there were guns involved. Fast forward to three months later, and he has changed quite a bit. He got a full-time job making walnut cookies, leaving at 7:15 in the morning. He comes home around 3:00 or 4:00 depending on how busy it is. 

He is also excited about going to university!  Wednesday night I saw him sitting on the floor with his new Ipad. He was loving it. Justin was connecting some other items he had bought, and he was playing with different apps. Later on at supper, he was making jokes with his father, carrying on like an adult. It is almost like he is ready to be sent off to university! 

Aidan has also grown. He is entering middle school, and this child loves to study! He and Jordan go to a Study Room in the mornings from 10:00 to 11:30. He also is okay with sitting at his desk in the afternoons for about three hours. I do take Aidan and Jordan swimming so they do get some exercise and to just contrast all the sitting that is going on.
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We do read-alouds as well. This week, we were reading another book from the rather endearing Mr. Putter and Tabby series and Mercy Watson, a fun and ridiculous story about a pet pig and her adventures by Kate DiCamillo. Aidan was refusing to come down from the bunk bed, so I held up the book from where I was sitting on the floor.  I heard Aidan speak very slowly…

“‘Have some more, dear,’ Mrs. Watson said in her sleep. ‘Eat up, yum, yum.” 

And then this: “Mom, What does yum, yum mean?”

“That is similar to ‘it’s delicious’. Mercy Watson sure does love toast with butter on it.”

He seemed satisfied, and he continued to read. When we were finished he said, “Mom, I want some yum, yum food!”

He proceeded to the kitchen to make noodles, and I reflected on the fact that Mercy and Aidan were not that different in wanting to eat yum, yum food. 

And now to Jordan who is a little under the weather today. This one has discovered the glory of the bigger screens! He inherited Aidan’s laptop the cascade of moving devices caused by my husband’s purchase of an Ipad for Justin. Justin gave his laptop to Aidan, and Aidan gave his laptop to Jordan. Jordan still has a small, hand-held unit. 

We were dancing to Sing, Sing, Sing, a rather simple worship song that we are using for Children’s Church. He enjoyed watching the video on that big screen and dancing to it. I was pleased.

I just want to say that it is awesome when all three of my children are progressing in behavior. It means that some of what my husband and I are doing is working!

My last little piece is about the class I was taking from the Nazarene Bible College. We read an amazing book entitled Emboldened by Tara Beth Leach. In it, she calls the church to be the church. Women can be called by the Holy Spirit to pastor. This actually goes back to John Wesley and Holiness Movement in the 18th Century. I know he was open to women in ministry due to being raised by a mother who taught all of her children about the Bible. I know he changed his mind about women being ordained about half way through his life. I know that Phoebe Palmer wrote The Promise of the Father, a theological piece on Acts 2 about how the Holy Spirit came down.

And this is where I will leave you today. The Holy Spirit changes things. He changes you, and he changes me. He has changed by children, and he continues to change children around the world through prayer and reading of God’s word. Be faithful to what God is calling you to do.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
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Mercy Watson to the         Mr. Putter and Tabby          The Captain of the                  Rescue                       Turn the Page                     Storm

This year started out well! We were all excited to see 2021 go. I was interested in saying goodbye to the year because I get tired of dealing with all the COVID regulations for groups. Omnicron has been a little cruel, and the South Korean government has put out all kinds of restrictions on different things. In essence, it feels like lockdown has happened all over again.

Let’s start with Justin. His graduation ceremony was this week. His father made an elaborate meal which you can see pictured above. I cried when we all sat down to eat. A lovely, lovely, heart-felt moment.

Justin took Suneung last November. Ever since then, he as been sleeping in and playing games. He loves the playstation and thinks it is his personal play toy. 
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There was a bit of an interruption to his regular routine of sleeping in and playing games all day. About ten days ago, he got a job making walnut snacks in Sejong. He now gets up around 7:00 am and gets on a bus to Sejong by 7:30. He works until around 2:00 and goes home around 3:00. He eats his lunch, studies TOEIC for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half, and then he proceeds to play games on the playstation. 

I am just thankful that he has a job! He is making some money, and I am sure he is going to love his first paycheque.

Aidan graduated from elementary school. Both Aidan and Jordan have been off of school for a few weeks now. They sleep in, enjoy a leisurely morning, and are off to Study Room.They blow through the door somewhere between 11:30 and 12:00, hunt for noodles that they eat for lunch, and then study for about an hour. The day then becomes one of screens. 

I am curious if anything is ever going to replace YouTube in their minds. It just seems like a great place to waste time to me. I would love if they actually picked up a book and read, but I digress here…

Still they are good when I need help. They come down to the basement to haul up groceries when I come back from the store. Justin came with me to the tax office on Thursday to get some information printed out. He is the one who talked to the clerks in Korean. Aidan also translates when I need it, and Jordan is emotionally supportive with his smiling. 

And we are all enjoying this break from the academic calendar right now! Even my husband has limited himself to two days at the Asian Center for Theological Studies in YangPyeong.

So, what are we doing to Lunar New Year? Going to YangPyeong to see some sights, visit my husband's sister, and take a rest. Sleep is a gift we do not take for granted!
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“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 ESV

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

I love all that layed icing on this gingerbread tree! 

The weather here is too warm for me. I remember freezing in the Canadian wind, coming inside, warming up, and then falling asleep with hot chocolate and a sandwich. It’s actually a very good memory!

This has been an eventful month for the Kim Clan. Justin finished the Scholastic Aptitude Test last month. Aidan is getting ready to go to middle school. Jordan is campaigning for Students Council Vice-president. I finished a course on John Wesley with Nazarene Bible College, finished grading, and started winter session today. My husband is traveling between where we live in Sejong to Yangpyoung to teach at Acts. It has been a little busy!

Let’s begin with Justin. I have been watching this rather large man-child play games on the PlayStation for most of the day. Sometimes he comes out of the room with a huge smile on his face because he has won the game. Sometimes he is completely dejected because he has lost a game or couldn’t figure something out. Most of all, he is wasting time and waiting. 

Justin has been helpful when he is asked to do something. He accompanied me to the hospital last week to translate what the doctor said about my thyroid. He also accompanied my husband to the hospital when Hansung was undergoing an endoscopy. 

Aidan is also at an in-between age where sometimes he is becoming a teenager and sometimes he is a kid. When I was brining the turkey for Christmas dinner, he decided to take pictures of it. He spends an incredible amount of time on his phone despite my nagging and telling him that he could leave it alone for an hour. 

Both Aidan and Jordan are enjoying not being in school everyday. The COVID restrictions are limiting the number of students in the classroom. Aidan has been at home three days this week, and Jordan has been at home twice.
 
In addition to school, Jordan is campaigning for Students Council Vice-president. If he wins, he will represent grade 4 interests. It has been fun to watch him and everyone else get in on the campaign. On Sunday night, Jordan was practicing his campaign speech. (Yes, it was adorable!) His father recorded it on Monday night. The boys were also helping Jordan make posters. Jordan was very exciting to get his posters off to school this morning, and I was very proud.

Like I said in the introduction, I completed a course on John Wesley. In case anyone is wondering, John Wesley was the leader for the Methodist movement in England and the United States. It was a good course, but I wish I would have been able to take it at a different time when I was not swamped with grading to do! 

I started winter session today. It was a pleasure to meet my students and actually talk to them instead of meeting over zoom. I think we were all excited to be back in the classroom!

By the way, did I tell you that Justin got into Chungju University? I am so glad, and my husband and I can breathe easy knowing he is good hands.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have many reasons to enjoy this special season! 

Another month has passed and the boys are getting taller! How does that happen? It seems like they grow while they are sleeping! I remember it was not that long ago that that they were very cute and very small. I remember the chubby cheeks and the great smiles.

First, I want to talk about Justin. He and his father were off this morning to take the Korean Scholastic Aptitude Test. They left at 7:20 am. This is a milestone for Justin. I am hoping and praying that he earns enough points to get into the university he wants to go to. 

So, how does a teenage boy handle the stress of it all? Well, if you are Justin you crack a lot of jokes. He has been in rare form for over a week. In the mornings, he gets up, sits on the couch, and plays with his phone for at least 15 minutes. He then cracks a few jokes and proceeds to get dressed, drink coffee, and start the day. In the afternoons, he cracks a few more jokes, studies for about an hour, and then takes a break. And this repeats a number of times. I seemed to notice that the breaks were getting longer. He would be looking at his phone or playing a game on the play station.  In the evenings, he eats dinner with us, and then proceeds to pay a game or study and then studies until around 12:00 midnight. 

Have I mentioned that Justin bounces? He bounces in like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. He does not have the same laugh as Tigger, but still the resemblance is uncanny. 

The other boys are doing well. Aidan was the team captain for the elementary’s school’s volleyball competition. The competition was two Saturdays ago. His team lost, unfortunately, but he came home with a smile on his face and was pleased with the rice cakes he received from the coach. 
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Everyone was dieting last month and it has not stopped. Both Justin and Aidan are still moderately eating their meals. Breakfast is often skipped which does not please Mom. I just think something should be in their stomachs in order to start their day well. Justin has lost around 10 kilograms and Aidan has lost the little belly he had! Jordan can eat whatever he wants and it does not affect him. Lucky boys!

In other news, a beautiful package arrived on Tuesday evening. It contained my degree from Framingham University. I know have a Master of Education in TESOL from Framingham, and I did the happy dance when I saw it! Over two years of week went into that degree, and I whooped and hollered with the boys that evening. 

How would you celebrate if you had just received a degree and your son had finished the Scholastic Aptitude Test? Would you go out for a meal? Would you sleep? None of that is going on. The boys are going to Yangpyoung tomorrow with their father and work on building a deck for the little house we have out there. I kind of laughed when I heard this news. Justin, Aidan, and Jordan will breathe fresh air, and my husband will be happy with the free labor he has for the weekend! 
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This leaves me alone in the house for two and a half days. I plan on catching up on sleep! You can call it a sleep celebration. 

It is a beautiful autumn day. The crispness in the air is complementing the golden hues of gold, crimson, and red. And I am realizing that another month has passed. The boys are a month older, and I am also a month older.

What have the boys been doing this month? Apparently, diet and exercise are a thing in my home. This started with Justin when he found out he needed to weigh under 80 kilograms in order to qualify with other kids his age to become a pilot. My husband started him on a plan where he skips meals and eats very little rice at when he does sit down to eat. He is also walking home from school in order to get some exercise for that day.

Aidan and Jordan have been into volleyball since Jordan’s birthday party last month. They have been outside almost every night volleying the volleyball that Jordan received on that day! Aidan got so good at it that he qualified for the volleyball team at his elementary school. He has practices every Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and he loves it! Jordan also loves volleyball, but he is definitely not quite as intense as Aidan. These two are a bit more into the exercise than they are into the dieting thing.

In fact, we were having Wednesday night pizza when the boys were commenting on how well they were doing on their diets. Everyone was taking a moderate amount of pizza slices. And then Aidan pulled out ice cream from the refrigerator. They were small little bites shaped like rice cakes, and the boys proceeded to devour the bites. So much for the diet!

On that same night, Aidan made a funny comment. I had basically asked Aidan to take Jordan with him since he was going to practice volleyball with his friends. It was not going well, so I said, “Of course you will take your brother with you!” Aidan moved toward the door, put on his shoes, and said, “Of course, I will not take my brother. He is too slow!” and left the house. Jordan was okay with this since he usually is the last person at the table finishing his food 15 minutes after anyone else. He was actually pretty quick. Five minutes later he was out the door joining his brother.

Another fun story is that Aidan had graduation pictures taken this week. Of course, I heard about it in the morning, and we were scrambling to find clothes for him to wear. Aidan pulled out a plaid shirt and asked, “Is this okay?” I smiled because he looked so Canadian with that shirt on. When he put on the blue jean jacket, I smiled and said, “Hey James Dean! You look great!” He smiled because I had explained who James Dean was earlier. That Canadian boy went off to school, and he did send pictures of himself and his friends later in the afternoon. The pics were lovely!

It is also exam season right now. Justin just finished midterms on Wednesday. I always know when he is finished because he takes a really long nap on the last day of exams, and that is what he did yesterday. He got up Thursday morning with a little bit of trepedition on his face. I don’t think he was thrilled with the thought of returning to the regular schedule at school. I just want to grab the child, hold him, and tell him that he only has a few more months to go before he is going to feel some genuine freedom in life.

We have to finish with a story about Jordan. I was tucking him into bed the other night, and I was using some lines from a children’s story we used to read.
“Momma comes to tuck you in.
Pulls the covers to your chin.     
Squeezes finger, squeezes toes.
Puts a kiss upon your nose.
Checks for monsters under the bed,
And says good night you sleepyhead.”

We had gone through quite the procedure to get Jordan to sleep. And then he rolled over and said, “I want a massage, Mom. Please!” These back massages are becoming a regular thing to help the child sleep. I gave him a back rub for five minutes, repeated the lines from the children’s story, and said good night. It took him all of two minutes to snuggle in right beside me, take a few deep breaths, and slowly fall asleep.
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I just want to say that the bedtime routine might be rather annoying, but in the end I love him cuddling up right next to me. I feel like God is watching the whole thing and smiling down on us.

Another month has flown by! The boys are yelling and laughing at each other, playing games like soccer and badminton outside, and just enjoying Indian summer in Korea. 

Let's begin with Jordan. After cleaning our apartment last Saturday, Jordan and I decided to go to a coffee shop. (I decided and he agreed to it.) We went to one about 10 minutes from our place. I ordered tea and he ordered a lemonade. And then he saw the display. He was looking longingly at the macaroons and asked, "Mommy, may I have one?"

He was just so polite and cute! He got his macaroon. He sat down with me at a table, pulled out his tablet, and started to drink his lemonade and very slowly ate the macaroon. 

I realized over the course of the half hour that we were at the coffee shop that I had forgotten something back at the house. He packed up like a little adult when I said we needed to get back. No drama at all. He just got in the car. 

Actually, the drama comes from Aidan. My child who can concentrate the most is also the most dramatic. Last night he refused to sit down at the dinner table with Jordan because of a perceived problem of Jordan not doing exactly what Aidan said in his math book.

The math book had come in the mail last week. Jordan ripped that package open, and started to look at it as soon as it had arrived. It was my husband who decided that Aidan could be Jordan's teacher and work through the book.

Anyway, Aidan walked off about 30 minutes before dinner, slammed a door, and proceeded to cry. I followed him into the bedroom, told him to work with Jordan, and he decided that I was not being supportive of him and burst into tears all over again. Drama!

I was genuinely surprised when he refused to sit with Jordan over supper. 30 minutes later I asked Aidan back to the table. He ate his supper. I told Jordan to go and apologize for whatever had happened and Jordan obediently did what I had requested. Aidan, of course, refused the apology and then I lost it on the child. I took his phone from him and told him to get over himself and accept the apology. More crying...

And then we were interrupted by Justin. He had just had a shower, and I could hear the music from his phone playing. Sure enough, Justin bursts through the door on Aidan dancing to "Ooga-chucka, Ooga-chucka... I can't stop this feeling."

Both Aidan and I burst out laughing. (Just an FYI, Justin really can't dance!) It took another hour to get things sorted out with Aidan, but he did eventually cooperate with Jordan and with me. 

In my last post I mentioned that Justin is in his last semester of high school. I am more than a little concerned about the fact that he is doing almost nothing when it is just me in the house. I am sure this will continue until he takes his exams and graduates. 

Have I mentioned that Justin wants to be a pilot? I know miracles happen and anything is possible. He is just waiting for Suneung (Scholastic Aptitude Exam) and not really studying anymore. After the dancing episode last night, he spent some time talking to Aidan and then spent 45 minutes playing with his phone. I told him to go study. He went into the study room that he shares with his father for about 30 minutes and then proceeded to watch Aidan play games on the Play station. I seriously hope that child is studying after I fall asleep in the evening.

The other man you may be interested in is my husband. He got a promotion at work, Dean of Planning. Apparently, what that means is that he gets to plan events on campus for students and attend a lot of meetings. He has been at school for three days, and I am wondering if he is going to spend the whole week in YangPyeong. 

But tonight we get to celebrate! Jordan's birthday is today and we are having a special dinner for him. He gets beef, rice, and seaweed soup (a traditional birthday meal here in Korea). We will cut cake and blow out candles when my husband gets home.

It has been an eventful summer for the Kim Clan with everyone doing something. First, I have finished a Masters of Education in TESOL with Framingham University! The last push was three courses back to back. The last class was a Language Structure class (yes, linguistics) and it was struggle to get through as I was tired from teaching and taking classes along with the regular schedule of taking care of a home and doing things at church. I finished on August 23rd! This made for an exciting last week as my birthday was August 18th and I was vaccinated the day before. 

But I am sure all of you want updates on what has happened with the boys. So, let’s get started!

It makes sense to start with Aidan as many of you directly messaged about what was going on with the sexual harassment suite. First, he had a great summer off from the stress at being at school. Second, when he went back to school, he found out that his teacher had been moved to teach science for the children in grade 5. Aidan also seems to be better in terms of controlling his temper. He can control his tongue. I think we can all appreciate that!

An interesting development from the whole problem was that my husband and I found out that Aidan has a tendency to take over the classroom during quiet moments. He has learned that it is not good to speak more than the teacher does.

These are lessons that have been learned the hard way. He is settling in with his new teacher, a rather cordial female, who everyone likes.

Justin has started his last semester of high school. He seems a little more relaxed with everything now, and is looking forward to the end of high school. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday that we brought that child home from the hospital.

Earlier in the summer he kept saying, “Everyone is having a hard time right now.” Yes, my son. Life is a little difficult, and your parents have done what they can to take care of you and make you strong. Hopefully, the strong part will kick in over the next few months. I am hoping and praying that he is going to rock his SAT (수능 in Korean) in November.

Also, Justin grew a mustache over the summer. I had fun telling him he was my little French man. The mustache looked French, so what can I say? Mais oui? He shaved it off Monday afternoon. Apparently the mustache was tickling his face. His friends had something about the mustache and my guess is that is what drove him to shave it off. I was pleasantly surprised to see my handsome boy's face.  

Hansung also had a development over the summer. He has been made the Dean of Planning for ACTS. I am sure this means many hours in YangPyeong and less time at home as he will be charge of recruiting students for the college he teaches at.

Jordan has had some trouble with his tummy over the last few days. It started on Thursday when everyone went back to school. He went to school to tell his teacher that he had a stomachache and then Daddy took him to the doctor. Friday he went but was sent home mid-morning. He spent most of the weekend lying on his stomach watching his device. There were many hot water bottles and cold compresses to make that child feel better. He finally had some energy on Monday afternoon and was very sweet when he went to bed.

“I love you Mom. Thank you for taking care of me.”

​That child could make anyone’s heart melt. I am glad it was my heart that he focused on!
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Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

​It's a bit of an odd month with the Kim Clan. Aidan had some trouble at school recently with his teacher and I am at a loss to understand the man. A few weeks ago, my husband got a phone call where he was told that Aidan was under disciplinary action for swearing. My husband was shocked and questioned Aidan about the incident at school.

It turns out it is quite possibly the teacher and the system that should be put under disciplinary action. There was a girl in class who brushed up against Aidan and put her hand extremely close to his private parts. Aidan, of course, reacted to this, saying "Sexual assault!" The teacher noticed the interaction and asked the girl what she was doing. The girl, of course, denied everything, and the teacher took her side. This, apparently, pushed Aidan over the edge and profanities came out of his mouth. This incident had been a series in a long time of interactions with the teacher where Aidan's voice was not heard. I believe all of the frustrations of not having the teacher hear you or protect you proved too much for him.

Of course, Aidan was punished for swearing. He is an extremely bright kid who needs to take a little less pleasure in the insulting language he and his friends engage in.

It turns out that in Korean culture, when a child gets in trouble at school, he or she is required to write out what happened in the presence of the teacher and the principal. And this is what resulted with this incident. My husband seems to think that a parent should also be involved in this process. He made quite the point of asking Aidan a long series of questions to make sure he understood what had happened as clearly as possible. Aidan had to amend or change quite a bit of his statement.

Because this is a potential sexual harassment case, Hansung (my husband) made some phone calls. The calls were made to different authorities. Information was gathered. and Aidan was told to not sign any other documents at school. 

The child had to defend himself to the Parents Advisory Council on Monday. He just kept repeating that he swore but he did not swear at the teacher. 

Two days later, the teacher approached him about what he wrote. Aidan said he wasn't going to sign anything. The teacher told him to just read it. Apparently, Aidan corrected something, signed the paper, and sent it to his Dad.

My husband was not pleased that Aidan had signed the paper. We spent most of the evening trying to understand how Aidan had been manipulated until my husband just looked at him and said, "You are not somebody!" I believe he just wanted Aidan to acknowledge that he had not listened to his father.

That was a terrible night. I had three different things due at the end of the week. My mind had been in stuck in public policy for English Language learners until it was rudely interrupted with the ongoing saga of what was going on with Aidan. 

And that is where we leave this unfortunately tale as it is not finished yet. And I just keep coming back to the stories Aidan told about his teacher before the whole thing happened and how nobody really liked him. 

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On a much lighter note, Jordan brings a smile to my face with his little boy smile and little boy ways. I really love that he always runs up to me and gives me a hug when he sees me outside. He is always polite, saying goodbye to me in the morning and announcing when he has come home. 

Jordan's teacher is pleased with his work at school and with him. His teacher is a Christian and commented to my husband about Jordan when they were doing street crossing duty in the morning. 

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On a much lighter note, today is Justin's birthday. He turns 18. I just keep smiling when I realize that by Canadian law he is considered an adult. We will have a meal of pork ribs later today as this is what he asked for. Afterwards, there is a plan to go to Baskin Robbins 31 for ice cream. I am just praying that the positive energy from Justin's birthday is going to outweigh all the negative crap from this week. 

On June 25th, eighteen years ago, I was at the doctor's for a prenatal check. We were back at the doctors just a few hours later. That beautiful boy was born in the evening around 8:00. I remember the angels dancing around the room when they placed that sweet bundle beside me in the recovery room. He was sleepy, but he smiled.

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What stories do you have about what is going on in your life? I would love to hear all about it!