That was the question the Younger Boy asked me and My Lovely Bride numerous times as we went into his final week at Arapaho United Methodist Dayschool. The Boy, like his older brother, has been attending the school since they were toddlers in the Mother's Day Out program.
Those early days were hard for Wy. He hated to go into the Fireplace Room where they kept all these Mother's Day Out kids. He would cry, cry, and cry, for My Lovely Bride as she left him. That seems like yesterday. But blink my eyes and I have a self confident five year old standing in front of me saying, "What's graduate Dad?"
I explained the concept of graduate to the Boy. My Lovely Bride did too. Still, he would ask, again and again, "What's graduate?"
The night of Wy's graduation the Boy(s) had a sleep over at some friends house. This allowed me and My Lovely Bride a rare 'date night' which included dinner and a movie (which we watched on DVD.) We had just arrived back to the Casa though, and were getting ready to watch Slumdog Millionaire when her cell phone range.
"Do you want me to answer that?" I shouted since she was in the back of our house.
"Yeah, see if it's (insert the name of the Mom where the Boy(s) were sleeping over that night.)" She answered.
"It's not. It's..." and I read off the number.
"I don't know who that is?" She replied.
I stared at the number for a moment, wondering I should answer it, or just let it go to voice mail. It was date night after all, and I didn't want the interruption.
On what was probably going to be the last ring before it went to voice mail, I flipped open the phone and said, "Hello."
"Is Carter Tinsley there."
"Yes. Who's calling please." I asked.
"It's (insert Wy's teacher who had retired that very day after working at the dayschool since 1980.)"
"Ok, Ms. (insert Wy's teacher's name.) Let me get her."
I walked the phone back to where My Lovely Bride was in our bedroom and said, "It's Ms. (insert Wy's teacher's name?)"
My Lovely Bride took the phone and said hello, and then was silent for the most part, saying 'thank you,' every so often. Intrigued by why his teacher would call on the Friday night after school had let out, I tried to determine the nature of the conversation by listening what My Lovely Bride said on our end of the conversation. About all I could get though, was that Wy's teacher was fond of the Boy and saying nice things about him.
After a few minutes My Lovely Bride congratulated Wy's teacher on her retirement and said good-bye.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Ms. (insert Wy's teacher's name) wanted to let us know about Wyatt." She said.
"She didn't get a chance to talk to us about it after graduation."
"What?" I asked thinking that maybe it was something bad about the Boy. Perhaps she didn't feel he was ready for kindergarten? Or he had done something that was deplorable enough that his just retired teacher would call our house the night of her last day of teaching since 1980! If it was me, I'd be at Happy Hour. Or a nice dinner.
"Wy did..." My Lovely Bride said, and she commenced to tell me how The Younger Boy had assisted a little girl in his class who is physically challenged. This little girl has a hard time negotiating certain things, spatially, and I guess becomes frightened when she has to do certain things (like walking into the sanctuary for graduation in front of a decent size crowd.) Wy Wy, without being asked, took this little girl's hand and led her gently into their pre-graduation position. Wy's teacher was so touched by Wy's behavior, that she had to call and tell us about it.
I didn't see Wy Wy until the next night. I had to work on Saturday and then when I came home they were out at the park. When they got home the Elder Boy ran in the house first, and said Hello to me. Wy walked in next, slow, looking tired and said, "Hi Dad."
"Hi Wy." I said and picked him up.
"What?" He asked.
"Did Mom tell you Ms. (insert Wy's teacher's name) called last night?"
"No?" He answered giving me a sheepish smile.
"She did," I said. "She wanted to tell us what you did for (insert the little girl's name) at graduation."
"Oh." He said giving me a bashful smile and looking down at the ground as I held him.
"That makes Mommy and Daddy very proud of you, son." I said.
"Oh," he said.
"Yeah." I said. "Very proud."
"Dad," he asked.
"Yes?" I replied.
"What's graduate."
Until I BLOG again...practice makes perfect, perfect is a fault, and fault lines change.
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