Proudest Moments Post

We all have great moments parenting.  Remember that time you caught your kid by one leg when he flew off the swing when he was three?  Nice snag, Dad.

It might be a goal in soccer, an opening day double, exemplary behavior at First Communion Mass.  It could be looking over at your kid who is supposed to be playing basketball and seeing him sitting in front of a toddler, happily rolling the ball back and forth.  It might be courage in the face of pain when a splinter won't come out, or it might be knowing you have very happy kids because they sing a lot and smile a lot and laugh a lot.

Some great moments parenting are reflected in the schoolwork they bring home - a great bit of writing, a perfect math worksheet, a smiley face on a poem they wrote.  When Nick and Zack come home from school they do their homework and we go through their backpacks to find interesting and blog-worthy (they don't know that yet) stuff.  Sometimes I need to sign a worksheet or the teacher will ask that they read something to us and send it back in.  And sometimes, there are extra-credit sort of assignments.

At dinner the other night Zack smacked his forehead, hard, which he does and we find it a little off-putting, and said, "Oh, weforgotaboutthat."  One word.

"Oh, yeah," Nick said, "Dad, can we do it after dinner?"

"Sure, except, I don't know what we are talking about."  And I am still not sure how Nick knew what Z was talking about - wonder-twin powers, engage!

"If we measure six things and write them on a list we'll get a 'tiger ticket'."  The coveted tiger ticket is a Pavlovian reward system the elementary school uses to keep the kids in line.  I am not really sure of the exchange rate, but, suffice to say, the kids want them.

"Well, that sounds easy enough.  You do it while your mother and I clean up."

So, Z got a tape measure, assuring me he'd be careful with it - have you ever been cut by a tape measure?  I have, it hurts, so I am often leery of letting them play with one, but, I figured this was using it in the right way, not, as say, a cat toy, or to play that game where you see how far you can extend the measure until it finally kinks due to the its own weight.  Not that I'd let a four-year-old do that...

Nick used an eighteen inch ruler, even though Zack said he'd share the tape, and off they went, scurrying and measuring and writing and giggling and basically carrying on.  They made quick work of it and they gave me these to sign - no signature, no ticky.

Zack over-achieved and measured ten items:

So he did the computer, a shelf, a small guitar, a TV (yeah, we have a hopelessly small, old school tube television, it's retro), backpack, the fireplace, a table, a picture frame, a book, and the globe.  I am not sure how he measured the globe, whether that's circumference or radius or if he used pi, circle math is hard so I just let it go.  And, there at the bottom, it says "10 things!"  I think he's trying to extra credit on his extra credit - give it a break dude.

Nick measured his six items, in his defense, this was not a spelling assignment (it never is, is it?):

So, what did he decide to measure here?  A stool, cool.  A lamp, 60 inches with and 18 inch ruler, that's difficult.  A candel (candle).  A Bud Lite Can.  A wallit (wallet, more accurately, his Alumawallet, he loves his allumawallet).  And a LEGO Arch, I'm not sure ...wait.

Does that say "Bud Lite Can?"

Sure enough.  I must have left an empty on the ground watching the baseball game the other night.

Yeah, another proud parenting moment to report here.  The day your son measured a beer can for a project at school.  At least he spelled it right ...