Is Your Mom Going to Be There?

Today was my Marbles last day of school. I have made it a point since they have began school to be as involved in their school lives as possible. I volunteer for every field trip, class party or activity they have going on. And in the rare instance that I can't be there, the guilt is overwhelming.

Because of my presence in my Marbles classrooms, their classmates all know me fairly well. (Although this year Pink Marbles class had their hands full trying to figure out if I was Pink Marbles mom or her BFF's mom since our resemblance is uncanny!) The children love to run up to me and smother me with affection and I love them right back. I am so popular with the kids I was even asked to sign yearbooks... but, i'm just sayin'!!

Anyway, this morning while in Blue Marbles classroom I was startled by the shrieks of a little boy in her class who reminds me of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. Mischievous, but playful and always excited about something! He runs up to me and says, "Miss Bitchet Miss Bitchet guess who's coming to my Awards Ceremony today???"
I could tell he was ecstatic. "I don't know," I told him. "Who?"
"My mom. My REEEAL MOM. Not my Aunt, not my grandma, but my REAL mom." This kid was over the moon that his *real* mom was coming to the awards. I don't know his situation but the fact that he was that excited about it made me think that perhaps he didn't see her often and that her presence was always substituted by some other female in his life. So, the fact that she was going to be there, in person, was even more awesome than the last day of school.

Well, the awards ceremony came and I could see him scanning the crowd for his *real* mom. His eyes were wide as quarters checking every row for a sign of her. Then when his name was called to receive his award he walked across the stage, beaming, trying to make eye contact with her. He was so preoccupied with locating her, that he ran right into the side of the podium. And when the ceremony was over we went back to the classroom for a party and the little boy was sitting at his desk defeated. As all the other parents gathered around their respective children, he sat bewildered. You could tell he was thinking, "She couldn't have let me down this time. It was the Awards Ceremony." But, apparently, she didn't show up. I felt so bad for him. I went up to his desk and knelt down beside him and told him how proud I was of him for the award he got and how much I enjoyed seeing him in class all the times that I was there. I also mentioned to him how happy I was that I was there to see him get his award.

It probably didn't do anything for him, and maybe there was a legit reason for her absence, but I doubt it because he was way too excited she was going to be there. And it made me realize that these little doo hickies your kids might have at school may seem unimportant to you, but to the kids it means everything and I thank god that I am able to participate the way I am. Even if it means I work 6 at night until 6 in the morning, come home, change and rush off to the school so I can chaperon Pink Marbles bowling field trip, see Yellow Marble graduate from Pre-K and be there to see Blue Marble accept her award for Biggest Animal Lover. I'd do it a million times over on no sleep just to see their eyes light up when they see my face in the crowd!!!