Parent Teacher night

2012 © Ruben Brito

Last night I attended my first parent teacher night.  My wife has been to the others, but she wanted a break.  My son is 4 and my daughter is 2 so I did my best to make it to both teachers before the night was over.  They starting off by huddling the parents in the padded floor gym room and showed us a video of our kids during music, play, and craft activities.  There was a glimpse into how they learned to write a few letters.
My daughter was edited out of the video, but still managed to be in most of the video.

Afterwards, I met with my daughter's teacher with a group of other parents.  A lot of whom I've never seen before.  Apparently my daughter is famous among her peers and even greets her friends by caressing their cheeks in the morning.

My son, who hasn't fallen far from the tree, has two sides.  When an environment is new, he is quiet and retreats  inwards with the solace of his imagination.  When he is accustomed to his surroundings, a vibrant and enthusiastic side fuels him.  His teacher recommended I place my hand on his shoulder to get his attention when in imagination land.  She showed me exactly what to do, and her magical touch made me attentive.  I tried the same approach on my son, but nothing happened.

There was a strong feeling of hope after being exposed to the other worlds happening besides my own and outside my wife's work relationships.  These kids are alive, creative, and hopeful.  They are unafraid of failure.  They simply are persistently in the present moment and value it.  It is the state adults strive to regain on life's unmapped road.  It is optimism on steroids.  It is something I hope to relearn again.