Career Day Report

Well Career Day went splendidly, as I knew it would.

I was having a great hair day, and wore a cute white button down fitted shirt with my Gap Long and Lean jeans and real shoes. I even put on makeup.

Most of the kids already knew me from the Valentine's Day party so they were all really cute and friendly and excited. Big Kid just beamed as he watched me speak. It was so cute to see his proud smile and his sideways glances at his friends.

I let them all take pictures with my camera, which was a big hit and explained what I did and showed them some photographs and a photo book.

Vivian positively glowed when Big Kid chose to take a picture of her. I gave them all their photos from the V-day playdate and she was so thrilled to have a photograph of the two of them. It completely cracks me up that girls are born this way or something.

Tonight before I put him in bed, Mr. Ashley told him to thank me for coming to school and talking to his friends and he said, "Tank you for comin' to my school and talkin' to my fwiends, mudder. In your white sirt. I wuv you."

"You're welcome. So you liked my shirt?"

Sweet shy smile and nod from Big Kid.

"Did I look pretty today?"

Big Kid: Yeah, you did. (kisses me and smiles sweetly)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Can I also mention here that I read him The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein which is a fantastic but fairly metaphorical book about a boy and a tree who love each other and the boy plays and climbs and naps under the tree.

Then the boy becomes a teenager and only wants money and is convinced that will make him happy, so the tree gives him her apples to sell at the market.

Then he comes back as a young man and wants a house so he can have a family and be happy, so the tree gives him her branches to build a house.

Then he comes back as a man and he's miserable and convinced he'd be happy if he could have a boat to sail away in, and she gives him her trunk.

Then he comes back as an old man and she's scared he won't love her because she has nothing to give him, and he says he just wants a quiet place to sit down, and she offers him her stump.

Pretty deep really, but written and illustrated simply a la Shel Silverstein.

I finished the book and looked up and Big Kid was crying. Weeping, really (although that sounds totally gay).

I asked what was wrong and he told me that it was a really sad book and asked me why the man had to get old, and why he had to take all of that from the tree, and why couldn't the man and the tree just play and climb and be young forever.

Then he told me he didn't want to get married because then he'd get old and he wanted to be little forever. I started to explain that it really didn't work that way, and that he was going to get old no matter what, but figured he doesn't really need to know.

Not yet anyway.

It creeps up on you soon enough, no need to see it coming.