My Morning with Max

grand (grānd) –adjective
stately, majestic, or dignified
magnificent or splendid
noble or revered
of great importance, distinction
princely, regal, royal, exalted

grandmother (grānd'mŭth'ər) – noun
The mother of one's father or mother.
A female ancestor.

Dear Steven,

It was Grand Friends Day at Kingsley today. Yes, it must have changed from Grandparents Day, to include children who do not have grandparents who could attend. When I was invited to go, I was extremely flattered but with trepidation. There was an ominous voice faintly taunting menacingly in the back of my head. Am I really old enough? Do I really appear old enough? Omg, do I look old?

Have I joined the ranks of female ancestors already.

I walked in with my very excited and proud escort. The pictures and signs have changed but the halls welcomed me with familiar smells and reminders of long-ago teacher conferences, cake walks, book fairs, assemblies and holiday recitals. Do you remember them?

We were warmly greeted by Max's teacher. The classroom was adorned with kaleidoscopic flying paper turkeys. It was a sun-shiny day and the classroom was especially bright and cheery. There was palpable enthusiastic anticipation as grandparents and grand friends filed in with their excited kindergarteners.

We hung our jackets in our cubbies. We found our seats and placed our pencil cases neatly on our desks. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance with our right hands over our hearts. And then, we took turns at the Smart-Board.

The Smart-Board is a white-board touch-screen computer monitor. It could have come right out of some futuristic Star Trek episode. All the students' names were "written" (projected) on one side of the board, underneath a graphic of a home. Each student stepped up, identified and touched his or her name and then, "dragged" it to the other side, underneath the graphic of a school building.

This is how attendance is taken in the future. And the future is now. No longer do our children passively sit and politely respond "here," when their names are called. They participate, they partake, they are engaged... they shout, “WE ARE HERE!” Max and you, dear son, are our propitious future. Lucky us.

And the time just flew. We read. We counted. We did puzzles. We had circle-time. And there was a rousing rendition of "Tu-ti-ta-ta." Since this was a grand-friend-inclusive activity, geriatric gymnastic gyrations were necessary in order to keep up with the class.

I also got a very personalized tour of the school. At the end of the tour, Max reluctantly gave me a quick hug and kiss goodbye, under the watchful eyes of his class-mates— "this is so uncool!"

I am so very happy to have attended Grand Friends Day. I am privileged to be Max's grand friend. I do feel magnificent and exalted and of great importance. Mostly, I feel loved.

In time, may fortune smile at me so that I may meet your children and proudly claim my role as female ancestor.

Love,

Mom