The Psycho Ex Wife

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Reading IS Fundamental and children’s literacy is of paramount importance.  Check out the RIF link just because I feel like plugging it.  Help children learn to read and to enjoy doing so.  It will open up a world of opportunities for them!

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I am always thrilled when the kids read.  They all read well, both DW’s pair and my pair.  For my kids, reading for a minimum of 15-minutes per night during the week is a requirement.  I love it.  So do the kids.

I work very close to the boys’ school and my flexibility of schedule will, on occasion, afford me the opportunity to be involved in some small way in their class or the school generally.  I don’t get there a lot, but the 1 or 2 or 3 times per year I do, I will always remember.

Last year, I had the honor and privilege of being able to go to S1’s classroom on “What Does Your Parent Do For a Living” day.  Essentially, I had the undivided attention of a crew of 3rd-graders and got to explain what my title was and what duties I was required to perform for my company.  I also got to explain some of the products and their applications - many of which they were quite familiar with, so it made it easy and interesting for them.  From there, I was S1’s “guest of honor” and got to go to lunch and recess with all of them.  They were ALL thrilled and the kids were so excited to talk to me (and probably not nearly as excited as I was to talk to them) and their interest and attention to me was a wonderful experience.  Lots of high-fives and ear-to-ear grins.  S1 was proud to have me there and as much said so.

At the beginning of this year, during orientation for both kids’ classes, I took the opportunity to sign up in S2’s class for something called “The Mystery Reader.”  A parent comes into class on the designated date and at the designated time and gets to read to the entire class.  Needless to say, I was all over that.  I enjoy reading and I especially enjoy reading stories to children.  When I saw that October 24th was available, I quickly put my name down.  I wanted to read ghost stories for Halloween and it was only the 2nd week of September!  I also never told anyone about it.  I didn’t want S2 to know I signed up and didn’t want there to be any chance that the “Mystery Reader” would be exposed before he was seen.

I arrived on Friday and ran into the teacher in the hallway.  I found out the children were about to return from some activity and I was directed to the classroom to await their arrival.  I took my seat in the giant rocking reading chair in front of the reading carpet.  None of the first 7 or so children entering the class knew who I was, but the smiles and delight on their faceS was priceless.

They continued to shuffle in and teacher was asking if anyone recognized the “Mystery Reader” and no one had at this point.  Then came S2.  I gotta tell you I wanted to melt with happiness when our eyes met.  He flushed a little (probably from excitement & embarrassment) and he smiled so wide I’d swear to you the edges of his lips curled around his eyebrows.  I smiled wide and winked at him.

The teacher was pleased that I didn’t let the cat out of the bag to S2 because the clues she gave all week left the guesses down to 3 choices, S2’s dad being one of them.  Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t come up in conversations during the week.  He beamed the whole time.

So I read two short ghost stories from a book about local hauntings.  I thought that they would be more interested in something with which they were familiar and would leave them chatting about it long afterward.  One of the ghost stories was about their very locality.  It was about a big black spectre - a nondescript black mass - that would haunt people out for evening walks or bird-watching or hunting in the woods that had existed long ago.  It didn’t kill, maim, or hurt - it was a bothersome ghost that sometimes struck fear into the hearts of those would come to see it.  The second story was about ghost children who haunted a gift shop located in an adjoining locality.  They were friendly children who often ran through the house in which the family shop operated at night or they would be heard singing or chatting with one another.  But they were never seen.

Two very cool stories if I do say so myself.  Nothing too frightening for 7 & 8 year olds.  They were captivated and full of questions between each story.  Some told of their own ghostly experiences, which was a hoot.  It took every bit of self-discipline to keep from laughing openly, but you could probably imagine how cute it was to look into the wide-eyes of a child telling how they or someone they knew saw some ghost somewhere at sometime.  (I almost couldn’t escape the class for all of the hands-raised and storytelling.)

At one point, one of the children asked, “Are those stories real?” In my infinite wisdom and desire to leave them something to consider, I replied, “Well, boys and girls, I can’t really say, it really depends on what YOU believe and what experiences YOU might have had.” In my best spooky sort of voice.  I told them to just be mindful of the black spectre when they were out and about on Halloween night.

The teacher immediately chimed in, “Nooooo… boys and girls, they’re not true, they’re just stories.”

Ooops.  I took that as my cue not to pursue the thought of them considering that ghostly hauntings may be true around Halloween.

As things wound down and I got my fill of looking out from my book to see them all leaning over, intently staring at me and listening to my words, I answered a few more questions.  The time had come for them to prepare for their assembly and I needed to head back to the office.  S2’s humongous smile never left his face the entire time and my heart couldn’t have felt any warmer had I set myself on fire.

As I headed towards the door under a hail of “thank-yous” and high-fives, I heard him call after me one more time in a voice that was far above all the others and oozed pride…

THANK YOU, DAD!!!

You’re welcome, S2.  THANK YOU. The experience was one I’ll never forget.  And if you, readers, get such opportunities… take them.  They don’t come around often and they’re gone before you know it.