Sometimes, you have to experience what you don’t want to truly understand what you need.

Recently I have been dealing with the fact that we are paying almost the equivalent of a car payment, spending countless hours in the car and dealing with constant schedule changes for one of my kids’ activities and yet the communication that goes home is seriously lacking.  I first saw the issue back in December when he needed something in particular and had no idea that he needed it.  It all worked out fine but when one of us spoke to someone who was in charge about it, we were dismissed like it was no big deal.  It would have indeed been no biggie if the communication hasn’t gotten progressively worse since.

I wonder if I am asking too much and also wonder if other parents aren’t caring enough to notice.  Is it just that since we’re a bigger family, the last minute schedule changes and the “You need such and such for tomorrow” is a much bigger deal for us?  Is it that since we are a homeschooling family and have really great communication, we come across as controlling in wanting communication to be better than we are getting?  In this day and age I think it’s inexcusable to find out the day of the lesson, and upon arrival, that a lesson time was pushed back with the only explanation being “I’m sorry.  I thought you knew.  We must have forgotten to tell you.  It will be at this time from now on.”  Between email, internet and, excuse the sarcasm, but this old fashioned thing called the telephone, I don’t think I am being unreasonable to think that since we are paying for services rendered that we are entitled to know about changes and new requirements as they happen.

I even went through the lesson of trusting my child over other adults.  I was initially worried that he was forgetting to tell us things we needed to know.  I’ll admit I grilled him a little more than I should have before I realized that his communication skills are completely age appropriate.  He admits that there have been a few times that the end of a weeknight long practice ends with a 40 minute information lecture and he ends up just trying to keep his eyes open and has missed a couple of things.  When he showed up at the time on his printed schedule for a rehearsal and only a handful of other kids were there, I knew that it wasn’t his fault that he was in fact an hour early.  Those other kids and their parents didn’t know either.

So I am on a quest for a new venue for this particular activity.  I have learned that just because a business is kid related, sells itself well and has a price tag to match, I can’t expect that their communication will be at the level that I want and need.  I am anxious to see the end of year presentations to see if the price we paid was even worth it.  I am hoping that at least my child has learned something.  And while on one hand I have been hoping that they invite him to try out for the next level “club” of what he is doing because I know it will make him feel good, on the other, I am hoping they don’t so I have even more of an excuse to find a better fit for what we are looking for.