TheMommyBlog

Monday, June 02, 2008 Family

I sat bolt upright in bed this morning at eight o’clock thinking, “Holy CRAP, Dylan’s assembly is in half an hour!”

Dylan was to be honored at the very last assembly of the year as one of second grade’s Student in the Spotlight awards. Whee! They don’t usually tell the kids ahead of time, so they can’t exactly send home a note, which could explain why I’ve missed each of Logan’s special days.

I raced out of bed and made myself presentable just in time to pull into the parking lot ahead of my mom and stepdad. Mom’s walking with a cane now, at approximately one-half mile per hour, nine days post-op. Hip replacement: it is a bitch. But there was no stopping her seeing her grandson, Jerry Lewis, honored for something in front of the whole school.

We found seats and waved frantically to Dylan who was jumping out of his skin and showing us his laminated, gold-starred certificate. We waited breathlessly as the principal called each group by grade up to the front of the assembly and introduced each student. We were the total caricature of proud parents: grinning, clapping wildly while trying not to let go of the camera tucked under one arm, tripping over the purse strap sticking out from under the folding chair. It was over in a flash and I didn’t even get to see either of my sons in the sea of children sweeping back to classrooms.

When I picked him up after school, I finally had a chance to ask him about it. “Dylan! Way to go! What did you do to be chosen?”

“What?”

“For Student in the Spotlight, honey. That certificate in your hand. You must have done something extra special to receive that award. They don’t just hand them out to anybody, you know.”

“Hmm. I don’t know?”

“You don’t know why your teacher recommended you? Were you extra good? A good citizen? Save a life?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You have no clue.”

“I forget what Mrs. R. told me.”