My Kid

Dear Readers,

I don't do this often.  Brag in excess about my kid, that is.  Don't get me wrong, Lucas is without a doubt one of the finest humans beings to grace this planet.  I know that, his dad knows that, and most people that know him probably know that.  However, I also realize that every parent feels the same way, so the "my kid's the greatest" spiel is worn and redundant and not my sort of thing.

Except for today.  I happen to have gained tangible proof that my kid is indeed, the greatest.

Not even an hour ago I was sitting across the table from Mr. Steidel, Lucas' third grade teacher.  We went through the regular statistics, writing samples, etc.  He expressed enthusiasm for Lucas' drawing abilities, spoke about his better than average reading skills, and spoke to the slight frustration of trying to get Lucas to complete a task in a timely manner (I have dubbed him the captain of Team Molasses, so this complaint is a familiar one to me).  After all the official stuff was out of the way, Mr. Steidel told me about a couple things he noticed that he wanted me to share with me.

The first incident happened just yesterday, at their Halloween party.  The kids had made BINGO sheets earlier in the day, and when their party started and they were preparing to play, one of the girls realized that she had lost her sheet.  Lucas, worried that this girl would not be able to participate, without any sort of prompting, invited her to share his sheet even though it meant he would only get to play every other round.  Mr. Steidel said that the most impressing thing about it was that not only was he willing to sacrifice the chance to win the highly sought after prizes, but he went out of his way to make Anna Belle feel better.

The second apparently happens on a regular basis, this time involving a boy named Andrew.  I've heard of Andrew before; apparently he's pretty hyper and annoys the other kids.  Lucas himself has complained about the young lad, not sure how to handle him. I have some first hand experience with being picked on and made fun of by other kids, and am a bit sensitive to the issue. My advice to Lucas was to be patient with him, and to never-ever be mean or cruel to him.  I explained that there will be annoying people around for the rest of his life, so learning how to be okay with them is an important skill; that tolerance is a virtue.  I don't recall Lucas bringing Andrew up since my big ol' lecture, and had forgotten about it.  Mr. Steidel reminded me of him today though, when he mentioned him as a student that struggles greatly both socially and academically.  According to Mr. Steidel, Lucas (again, unsolicited) will quietly get up when they are working on their assignments and go over to Andrew to see if he needs help, and will then patiently go through whatever problem Andrew is having and will help him work through it.

"You have an exceptional young man for a son," said Mr. Steidel.

I've heard stories from Lucas' previous teachers similar to these.  After each one, I wonder if I could ever be more proud of him.  I learn over and over again that I can.  I am gushing with affection, appreciation, and admiration for the compassion that Lucas exemplifies.  I am proud of his grades, his progress, and his academic prowess.  His golden heart though, that's what makes me weep with gratitude and genuine joy.

I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

Sincerely,
h.