Eagle Strut @ school..

Today, I'd got up from bed with the idea of getting busy doing some cooking and some writing later.Only I never got to the cooking part, but as soon as I sat down at the desktop to browse the net, one of my friend's called me out of the blue,(she'd not been in touch for a while), asking if I'd want to join her for the Eagle Strut at our kids' school and maybe go around for some garage sale hunting later . I had not made plans to go to school, but as I never got to volunteer this year or never shared a meal with my kid @ school since she started K, I decided to take up my friend's offer , which as it turned out, became one of my smart decisions taken recently. I, let me correct myself,  we, had a very fulfilling experience, walking the walk( The Eagle Strut, Eagle being their school mascot) with the little ones in kindergarten, following them around and having a picnic later at school.

I was sourly reminded of what I have been missing all along . My Kindergartner has begged me so many times to come to her class, read a book, be a homeroom helper, just be there at class like some moms who do so usually . I have never had the chance before today. The happiness and pride on her face on seeing me to share the experience with her was so rewarding. She'd been a little unsure previously about a few things though, with regards to my visits. Her embarrassment over her mom's choice of the traditional Indian dress was all forgotten. She was just overjoyed with the happiness and the surprise of seeing me turn up all of a sudden, with no prior warning. You know, both my kids have this embarrassment, of having to see me dressed in a sari or Churidhar or Salwar or anything traditional (Indian)  in front of their peers. They are glad to see me dressed so on any other occasion except when in the company of their classmates or schoolmates. On those times( while in the company of school mates ), they are just relieved to see me blend in, wearing a pair of jeans or some such casual wear. I beg my little one to wear one of those beautiful dresses from back home, at least once in a while to school, she refuses, she gets scared, she thinks she might be looked on as the odd person out among her friends . I try telling her how pretty she looks in them and how everyone would love to see her dressed thus, but no way is she gonna do it , not ever she says.

To get back to my day in her school, I regretted I was not going often enough to help in the classes, I wished I could do more, visit more. She was overjoyed to see me buy lunch at her school and eat it with her and her friends.There are so many such little experiences, precious ones, which we usually tend to ignore, not giving enough attention to the little things in life, mostly like trying to spend more quality time with the little ones. And how fast they grow up! Sometimes we are not even aware of what we are really missing out on. Its not long before you start wishing you had spent more time with them when they were little.  All those other busy matters in life force us to push these very precious moments towards the back row, in the line of our priorities. Her homeroom teacher was very excited to see us parents help and share in it all.

In the end, I was totally grateful to my friend who surprised me and changed my drab day to one that became very memorable for both my little one and myself .Only, am slightly vary of showing the pics taken at the school to my middle-schooler as he, time and time again, last year, had begged me to join him in school either for the same walk or some other program or just share a meal with him which I never did then . I better prepare to hear the usual," you always do it for her, not me" complaint . I totally regret I hadn't been able to share it with him when he was in the Elementary level, but I can find solace in the fact that I sure have spent more total time with him at school than with his little sister. So there is that saving grace for me after all in the matter....