A story

[chelidon]

My son is nearing the end of his 2nd-grade year, and last week his school had a "Curriculum Fair," kind of an open house where all of the kids in the school get to show off their work from the year to parents and family, and to each other. Some of them cooked international food for each other, others talked about and showed off dioramas and reports on plants and animals and ecosystems, and so on.

While we were there, my son's teacher said to my partner about our son, "he's strong, but he's not the strongest kid in the class. And he's bright, but he's not the smartest kid in the class. But he's the kid all the other kids come to when there's a problem, to help them work it out, because they know he'll be impartial and he won't take sides. They know he'll find a fair solution everyone can live with."

I have never been more proud of my son. I mean, every parent is proud of their children, but I can't imagine higher praise than what his teacher said that night.

Comments

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

That is very, very cool, and a very rare quality to have. :-)

[mystfemme.livejournal.com]

That made me smile. Thank you for sharing. You've taught him well.

[ravenedgewalker.livejournal.com]

yep, you should be damn proud of him. and damn proud of y'all for raising him.

Beautiful!

[cerr.livejournal.com]

He's just a year older than my daughter then! That's fantastic praise and SO rare at that age! VERY well done!!!
I wish kids could learn to be more like that......

[toasterstrumpet.livejournal.com]

That is an amazing compliment, both to your son and to you and your partner.

[humidcityloki.livejournal.com]

Nope, no surprises here. Move along.

[lylythe-strega.livejournal.com]

He's probably the most laid-back kid I've ever known.

Heh. Raised by all of us, I guess he kinda has to be... ;>

[northlighthero.livejournal.com]

Way to go!

... now, was ya wantin' us to be surprised?

(don't hold your breath -- this is JUST like both of you)

Love and light and lots of proud-by-association laughter

[eeedge.livejournal.com]

Your son is obviously wonderful, and he had an amazing teacher to both recognize those talents in him and to think to convey them to you in that fashion. Hearing compliments on ones children is the most marvelous sensation there is.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just? I don't take pride in the sense of any kind of ownership -- he is his own person, but more as a sense of wow, I get to be here and get to guide and know this incredible person as he grows and changes and becomes more and more who he is and will become. How cool is that?

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

:> Thank you, that's very kind of you to say, and I take it as very high praise indeed, particularly coming from you.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Being raised by all of us, he is in such trouble...and so are we! ;>

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

:> Thanks. Dude, I was just thinking about how I miss you guys so much. We gotta find a way to be in the same place at the same time sometime soon. Who knows, maybe I can make it out for some part of Mardi Gras..oh, hey, it's Feb 5, early this year, maybe...

And maybe we can get you up here somehow, perhaps during the Evil Heat Time there when it's not so bad up here...

[humidcityloki.livejournal.com]

Working on that....

[eeedge.livejournal.com]

Exactly! There's no awkwardness in accepting compliments about my daughters because they earn them themselves.

I'm torn, though, between looking forward to what they'll be like in a few years and simply enjoying the marvelous people they are now.