A Jen Too Many

Oldest Girl Child walked in the door from school the other day, with a distinct swagger in her step. So distinct, in fact, that it was almost a dance. It was a walk that screamed, "Look at me! Something special has happened and I am proud of myself!"

She also had a purple clip in her hair, heart-shaped, with purple ribbons hanging down. I knew it wasn't ours, and I knew she wasn't in possession of it when she left home, therefore, "Ooh, that's pretty! Where did it come from?" I asked.

With a little hop of excitement she ran over to me, talking a mile a minute. Her teacher does this thing, where if a child is unusually good, they get a sticker. Get so many stickers and you get to choose a prize from the prize chest. She finally had enough stickers, and the hair clip is what she chose.

Oh, so proud of herself! So excited to tell me how good she's been! She actually got two stickers that day, exactly how many more she needed to get a prize. For the first, she had been the only one standing quietly in line. For the second she had been the only one to answer when her teacher asked a question.

It's so much fun when they have a success. I love getting to rejoice with them. I wish all parenting could be like this.

Tomorrow will be school photos. On her instructions, we braided her hair before bed, so it will be wavy and beautiful in the morning when we brush it out. She is planning to wear her purple hair clip on one side, so we will remember this triumph every time we look at this year's school pictures.