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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

I Meant Well

One of my favorite things about the beginning of a school year is the ream of forms a parent is given to fill out about their child.  Name, address, phone number, those are the easy ones.  The two that always manage to trip me up are the Medical Release and the Media Waiver. 

When it comes to the Medical Release, we all know that it asks you to sign the dotted line and give the school permission to make medical decisions for your child should you become unavailable.  Most of the time what this means is, listen, if you’re in TJ Maxx and you turned your ringer off and your kid needs a Tylenol, can we give him one?  I say, sure!  But if it means, “Someone put a double espresso in your daughter’s Capri Sun and she took off running and the last time we saw her she was on I-25 headed north, do you mind if we hit her with a tranquilizer dart?” I’d say, “Send an ice cream truck to the freeway instead and I promise she’ll stop.”  Less invasive and 100% effective.  Only a mother knows these things.

The Media Waiver is another one that gets me.  Basically what they ask is for permission to publish your child’s picture wherever and whenever they want to.  At first I think these forms are mostly to protect children whose identities need to remain elusive.  I imagine abusive parents whose rights have been revoked only to peruse the elementary school websites looking for their child and say, “There he is!  On the monkey bars!  I KNEW it.”  And proceed to kidnap him from school at recess.  So for the last ten years of my children’s education I have always given permission for their pictures to be used and waited year after year to see their sparkly countenances grace the cover of a school district brochure.  Or something.  But last year as I prepared to sign the waiver and it asked to use my child’s picture on the internet I decided, “You know what?  I’m going to say ‘No.’  You never know when some creep might zero in on my kid and try to hunt them down.”  So I checked the box that said, “No thanks” which appropriately translates to, “I’m one of those parents.” 

Last week Drew came home from school and began going over his day.  “We had a cool assembly.  A meteorologist came from the news channel and talked about weather.  He was really funny, and our school is going to be on the news.  Except I had to stand in the hall while they were filming because you signed some paper….”

Doh!

18 comments:

Lorie said...

OH MY HEAVENS?! That is SO FUNNY! Poor Drew. I never knew what they meant by that, either and it's amazing that they actually keep TRACK. We don't have to sign anything in Idaho and if they end up putting you or your children on the home page of the school's web site, BONUS! (Drew & I were famously on the web site for a full year.)

mormonhermitmom said...

Yeah I checked the "no" box as well. But really, what are the odds?

Jill said...

Hey, but at least he is protected from all the crazies who could see him on the news right?

Heather said...

Bummer! Those mothers... just kidding!

Heather said...

The hall? Darn. Couldn't they have just blurred his face so he could at least get in on the action? ha ha.

Kara said...

I always check no. Always.

anitamombanita said...

Oh that stinks. Ugh, I hate that the idea of gray areas and using your gray matter to decide what's right has all but gone by the wayside. On the other hand, that same internet stalker could just as easily have been watching the news and seen his cute face, so in the end, in today's world, I'd be checking "no" also. I'm sure that's hard for him to understand, and the rub is that you want him to remain innocent enough that he doesn't HAVE to understand.

jksfam said...

Poor Drew. There was a boy in James' 1st grade class in CA that couldn't have his picture taken for religious reasons.

Stefani said...

Doh! Is right! This might be the only thing that is WORSE than filling out ALL THOSE FORMS year after year for multiple siblings all attending the SAME school!

Stefani said...

ok as I NOW read everyone else's comments, I guess having your child be stalked by some weirdo, child predator type would, in fact, be WORSE than having your child miss being on the news OR having to fill out all those forms.

Meg said...

CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!! But in my part of Idaho I do have to sign permission, I say no.

"Cottage By The Sea" said...

Poor Drew, my kids feel his pain. This is what my kids suffer as well because, I won't sign the sex- ed permission slip, another form which is to be filled out year after year here in California in addition to the medication and publication form. One of them came home in tears once declaring me, " the meanest mom in the world because I had to sit in the library and write a report just because my mom is the only mom at school who doesn't want her kid to learn about sex." And yeah, that's about spot on. My theory is to just say no to everything now. I must retain my standing as meanest mom at St Mary's.

Kerri said...

Yep, we had a lot of kids one year at Rachel's grade school not allowed to participate in stuff like that. Even keeps them out of the yearbook. It sort of sucks we have to even go through all that every year.

[Stacia] said...

Either my computer is dumb and won't open your video or you're even funnier than I thought!

Mom of Three said...

Bummer!

Dawn said...

I dunno... I am inclined to not give permission for just about anything to educational institutions. If they are asking for permission, there is a possibility they may use that permission for some nefarious deed they KNOW you won't want. I would be fine with them asking permission for specific events - like a permission slip that applies to this event only, but not blanket permissions.

Of course, my kids are grown, so I don't have to worry about it. So Maybe I should go shopping at TJ Maxx and stop reading blogs. Nah. You are FAR more entertaining that looking at myself in a mirror at TJ Maxx!

ganelle said...

I've always said no too, but now I am reconsidering. I never thought about something like that. Hmm. Thanks Drew!

Ulya said...

Umm, but you have a blog with pictures of your cute kids here.... Is it somehow different?