Harrigan Tales

Good bye 2010 and hello 2011.  In review of the past year there have been many ups but unfortunately just as many downs.  We all have the best of intentions with our resolutions from New Years.  Let’s see how many of us can keep them or even remember what they were at the end of the year. 

We all have that aha moments.  They may be big or they may be small.  Regardless of their size here is one I have vowed to uphold.  Life is too short to keep friends that just bring you down.  Yup – cleaning the house of friends is on the agenda.  The process has already started.  In hindsight friends that don’t treat you with respect aren’t worth your time.  They are not honest with you and only drain you of your self respect.  Yup I am done with this particular person.  Keep in mind I have been friends with this person for about 30 years.  A few friends have been given the details of what happened and are horrified of what this person did.  Whether they are friends or family they are not given a free license to treat you any way they want.  This particular person kept saying that I needed to listen to her so we could get past this.  Apparently I was the one that just needed to sit there and listen to her attack my integrity.  I decided after the call got dropped that my time could be better well spent. 

So 2011 will be better for many reasons.  I hope everyone has health and happiness.  Better days are on the horizon.

Last year Walker had spelling test every week.  Throughout the entire year he only got two words wrong.  He was quite proud of his achievements and so were we. 

Walker is lucky enough to have a fabulous teacher again this year.  She is full of energy, smiles and laughter.  Walker came home the first day and said, “My class rocks”!  Having a sense of humor is par for the course of being a elementary teacher for this age group.

Walker is now having spelling test each and every week.  He was doing a fabulous job until the other week when he came home and said he got one work wrong.  I go though the list thinking it was one of the more difficult words.  To my bewilderment it was… get this… the work… “Fine”.

The conversation:

Me:  Walker… are you kidding me?  How could you get the easiest word on the list wrong.

Walker (profound answer): I don’t know.

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I went to class last week to assist in the computer lab for Walker’s class.  I mentioned to the teacher that I couldn’t believe he got the easiest word on the list wrong.  So here was the conversation that I missed that occurred at school.

Teacher: Yes Walker?

Walker (pitiful puppy dog look in his eyes): Mrs. Venzie… I heard the word “Fin” not “Fine”?

Teacher (while keeping her laughter to a minimum) replied: Really Walker?  Well… I would believe that if everyone else in the class spelled it the same way.

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I guess you can’t blame a kid for trying.  I think he gets an A for effort on that one don’t you?

As parents we are constantly questioning ourselves about how we are raising our children as we travel along the path of parenthood.   Every once in awhile we are lucky enough to receive a glimpse of the type adults they will become.   I have been told not only is Walker primarily a well behaved child but he is one of the most compassionate students this particular teacher has taught. 

He is now receiving phone calls from friends and some of them girls.  A neighbors daughter who happens to be in his class called and wanted a play date.  She came over and they played for several hours.  When it was time to go home I reminded Walker to escort her out.  He then proceeded (without any prompting) to walk her all the way home.  I did say to him when he returned that he didn’t have to do that and his reply was, “I know… I just wanted to walk her all the way home”.

It’s the small things that he has learned that will make a difference in the long run.  He put a smile on my face and I don’t even think he realizes how he did it.  Teaching our kids to make the right decisions for the right reasons is nothing easy.  Sometimes we have to let them make the mistakes so they learn for the next time.