Friday issue: The difference of opinion issue

Today W fell asleep about 15 minutes before the lunch was ready so me and J got a meal all to our selves. Oh how great you all think but think again. We ended up ruining the lunch by getting into a fight. I can't really remember how the conversation got started but the fight started with something like this (I'm paraphrasing because I do not have a photographic memory):
Me: School is very important and I'm going to make sure W knows that and that he doesn't cut school.
J: Oh, good thing I didn't finish what I was about to say before that...
Me: What were you going to say?
J: Oh well... I was going to say that if he's tired it's OK if he skips first period to stay at home to sleep because I read that sleep is very important to teenagers. And as long as he tells me it's fine, him and me can have a nice morning at home and go for a coffee together and then I'll drive* him to work.
Me: No that is so not OK. So you're telling me that as long as he tells you he can cut class? That's the same as saying "oh I know he'll drink anyways so I'd rather he does it with me" that's insanity! If he's so tired he can go to bed earlier not sleep in and skip school. You're so just saying that because you think it'll be nice for you to be the "cool" dad that lets him cut class so you can have coffee together, that's what the weekends are for! ...
J: Well yes but I don't think it's that bad.
Me: ... just think about the lesson you'll be teaching him! School is not important and if you're tired just don't do what you're supposed to!
J: He'll have all the time in the world to do what he's supposed to later.
Me: Well how will he know he has to when you're teaching him he doesn't?
J: He'll know! Besides school is not that important you can skip classes here and there it doesn't make any difference!
Me: OMG it does too! I had less than 2 percent absence from school when I was a kid and I had great grades and you skipped all the time and barely finished school! It matters!
J: Oh... yeah, well... maybe...
Me: Besides teaching him to show up on time when he has to is an important lesson to know for when he's older and has to be at work on time.
J: Oh no school doesn't teach you timekeeping. I'm always on time and I wasn't punctual for school but Dicky is always late and he was always in school
Me: I know he's always late to come see us but is he always late for work cause that's what we're talking about?
J: Well I don't know... maybe not for work.
Me: Well then it works.

This went on and on for the entire meal and I got very angry. Obviously I think I'm right and he's oh so very wrong but I would still want your opinions on the subject and on how you deal with differences of opinion!

I also wanted to add that I'm not all against pulling him out of school for a day to spend some quality time with him but letting him skip classes in the morning so he can sleep in just sounds wrong.

*it's is now necessary to know that J doesn't have his license and he has no concrete plans on getting it. He took his theoretical test about 4 years ago but has yet to drive the car or schedule an appointment for his practical test.

back to reality.

I am making an effort to get back into writing here again after my month long holiday. I am not very inspired which I will put down to the fact that W has been difficult lately. Ever since we got back he's not sleeping properly and he is super attached to me. So attached in fact that I can't be in a different room from him without him freaking out. This is putting a lot of stress on me since I get practically nothing done and if I try to just leave him playing or watching a movie for a second to go to the bathroom or start dinner or make välling he just screams until I come back and get him. It's exhausting and I feel very clueless as to what to do about it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Our holiday was awesome, we had such a great time and we truly enjoyed seeing our family and friends. (I am sorry we didn't get the chance to go up north and that we missed out on some of you in Stockholm it was just too much) We enjoyed it so much in fact that we made our first concrete plans of moving to Sweden in the next couple of years.

This photo was taken at my grandparents house in Hunnebostrand on the west coast of Sweden and it just fully captures the serenity and happiness we felt there.


Unfortunately the trip was not all flawless, W got sick again while we were there. Another virus, the third one in three months. And as I mentioned above, three weeks may seem like a long time but we did not have time to see everyone we wanted to see. We'll return soon though and then we'll have to see you all cause you are all missed!

In the next couple of weeks I am going to try to do some job hunting and daycare hunting and see where we can go from there.

the return

So we're back. We're also tired.
I am planning on writing a long post about our trip and all the fun we had but not today. I am too tired and it's raining and W has decided that 4 am. is an acceptable time to wake up in the morning.
Lots of fun was had by all and lots of firsts achieved. Lots to process and the sadness I feel after having to leave my beautiful family and friends behind has to be allowed to linger for a couple of days. Time goes fast and the everyday routine will soon kick back in again. Soon my loved ones we'll be less far apart.

Quick update

So the flight was ok. We got delayed an hour and half in Montreal because of the weather so that resulted in us being late to Amsterdam and having to run from one end of the airport to the next to catch our connecting flight and our bags didn't make it on time.
Once here we were tired but happy and we had to go shopping for shorts and sandals because it was about 32 degrees celcius outside (I don't have my nifty converter on this computer so you'll have to do with celcius while we're over here).
Our bags finally arrived at my mom's house at tenish in the evening but by then we were both sleeping.
Today it's raining and thundering.