Shannon Stacey


Bonding over cafeteria oatmeal

This morning was Breakfast with Dad day at SK’s school. They opened the kitchen a little early and students could bring their dads (or any other man important to their lives) and have bagels or oatmeal together before school started.

SK’s dad really did not want to go (though SK doesn’t know that). Not only is elementary school cafeteria oatmeal not high on his list of favorite breakfast foods, but it also meant his work day couldn’t start until 9:00. But he went because it was important to SK and being a Dad is the thing he does best in the world.

Nova Scotia

This is one of my favorite pictures of them, taken in Nova Scotia in August of 2003, when SK was three months shy of turning three. They were having quite a conversation, even though SK’s speech delay left him very shy of understandable. Three months later he started the school’s special needs preschool and five months after that he said his first clear words. He pointed to the shelf of VHS tapes and said, “I want to watch that one”. My brain was so skilled at automatically translating it took me a few seconds to realize he’d actually said the words. (He’d been speaking in complete sentences for a long time. He didn’t open his mouth, though. Said everything with his lips pressed together. Try that. TK also had a speech delay while speaking in complete sentences, but everything he said was missing the consonants. Try that, too. Fun times. But thanks to the greatest special needs preschool team on the planet, they were both age-typical by kindergarten.)

Blah blah blah. Anyway.

I think the most groan-worthy school event I’ve suffered through was a class play of TK’s. The microphones were inadequate, so nobody could hear the children. It was like watching mimes. And SK was in that too old for the stroller, too young to be loose phase, so it was a tough hour.

How about you?

3 comments to “Bonding over cafeteria oatmeal”

  1. Lori
    Comment
    1
      · February 11th, 2010 at 3:46 pm · Link

    Awwww – that is an adorable picture!



  2. Annmarie
    Comment
    2
      · February 13th, 2010 at 1:19 am · Link

    I don’t have kids so I don’t get to be tortured. I did go to my niece’s Pre-K graduation. I skipped the cake & punch because the pre-schoolers had mauled the cake and the punch was BLUE. (WTH?) My niece was SO proud to have me there that it was worth the time off from work.



  3. Jill Sorenson
    Comment
    3
      · February 16th, 2010 at 8:20 pm · Link

    My worst was a holiday assembly on a really warm day. Everyone in xmas sweaters, lots of sunshine, no a/c (because it was December!) and closed windows. It was like being inside a hot car. With 150 other people.







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