Literally Gloating

I rarely lack for opportunities to get all paternally puffed-up about my kids. It doesn't take much. I'm ready to attribute absolute brilliance to them for the most meager of reasons. If L happens to kick one of her toys (accidentally or otherwise) in the general direction of her closet, I take that as an undeniable sign of organizational genius. If N washes his face once a week I will happily believe him to be a valiant soldier on the forefront of the war on grubbiness. The other day the two managed to go an entire hour without beating on each other, and I was convinced that they were only a committee meeting away from being co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As I said, I don't ask much. But from time to time we get news of something that makes me pause and say, "Wow. That actually is pretty cool."

This month the kid's school held a Read-a-Thon fundraiser where the kids would get people to sponsor them to read, pledging to donate so much per page. At the end of the contest they tally up the pages and collect the cold, hard cash. (For the school!) The top readers get some sort of prize themselves. I knew both L and N were buckling down for it. L is a happy reader, so I expected some cheerful commitment from her, but N is a wee bit on the lethargic end of the spectrum when it comes to the lit side of academics. I didn't have grand aspirations there. (But don't stand between him and a math problem!) A week or so ago they announced the results.

N was competing against his own 1st grade class, the other 1st grade class and both kindergarden classes (about 90 kids). He placed #1! L, on the other hand, was up against her 2nd grade class, the other 2nd grade class, two 3rd grade classes and two 4th grade classes (around 130 kids). She placed 4th! I don't think either one of them could have been more excited than I was.

So I'm rethinking their whole future now. We may have to forego the bulk of elementary school. Middle school and high school we'll ignore outright. We'll just need to get those applications to Harvard and Yale in the mail pretty soon. I'm also thinking we should decline the Nobel Peace Prize. After all it wouldn't be fair to share that and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

L, doing what she does best.