First Date

“Did you know I have a Valentine, Grandma?” my ten year old grandson asked me as I drove him to school. “Oh, and who is it?” I asked. “It’s a girl from Me-maw’s church,” he answered. “She’s eleven.” I couldn’t help but tease a little, “An older woman, huh?” He ignored me. “Do you know what it means to have a Valentine?” “Well, I think so,” I smiled, “but why don’t you tell me what you think it means.” “It means I have a girlfriend.” “Don’t you think you might be a little young to have a girlfriend,” I replied. “No, I’m getting to be the age when you start thinking of things like that.” “Oh, boy,” I think to myself but answer, “I suppose so.” “Do you know what we are going to do for our first date?” he continued. “We are going to the skating rink for Christian night on March.” “That sounds like fun,” I say, trying not to cringe at the words ‘first date.’ He then asks, “Do you think I could do some chores for you so I can earn some money to buy her a coke or something?” That really threw me off-guard but I remained calm. “Yes,” I replied. “If you want to earn some money to buy her a coke, I think I can find something for you to do.”

I am so not ready for this ! He’s only 10! But at least he will be skating to Christian music with a church girl. But still…(sigh).

Self-Defense

On her way home from school, my thirteen year old granddaughter came upon a crowd of students whose paths were blocked by a couple of boys in pre-fight mode, shouting obscenities at each other. After a few minutes, tired of the wait and the trash talk, she decided to walk between them and be on her way. At precisely the same time one of the boys decided to throw a punch at the other. The punch, however, was headed straight toward my precious grandchild. Without thinking, she blocked the punch and automatically counterpunched. The kid she punched was a head taller than her but he was on his backside with a bloody nose. After a second of stunned silence, the boys and the crowd started expressing their amazement with words such as “Holy S#@#.” My granddaughter, in shock herself, went on her way. As she passed the boy who was the intended target, she winked and said, “I forgot to mention that I’m a black belt.”

As usual, I asked her how her day at school went (I’m the after-school care-taker for my grandchildren). “It was okay until the end,” she answered and proceeded to tell me her story. “It all happened so fast,” she reflected. “I didn’t even think about it until I was delivering the punch. I pulled back a little when I realized what was happening. I didn’t want to hurt him.” She held up her fist, twisting it around, examining it in wonder. “And I didn’t even hurt my hand!” I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. Her ten-year old brother was also very impressed.

My amusement quickly turned to concern. I thought to myself, “I hope she didn’t break his nose and I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.” I told her to call her parents and let them know what happened in case they got a call from the school. I also worried that the boy she punched would want revenge. When I voiced that concern to my hubby, he pointed out she could take care of herself. I’m relieved to say that all is well. The boy went back to school without a broken nose and after a week, still isn’t bothering her. And, thankfully, we haven’t heard from the school or his parents. This evening she will be testing for Level 3, 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. And I will be watching.

Mistakes

As we sat in the line to drop her off at pre-school, my four-year old granddaughter realized she didn't have her school bag. "Well, we just have to go back and get it, then," I merely said as I eased out of the line. Thankfully, we were a little early and I felt absolutely no pressure or aggrivation. My granddaughter, however, was quick to blame me for the forgotten bag. I pointed out that making sure she had her school bag was her responsibility, not mine. She switched from blaming to making an excuse. "Well, I didn't see it!" Still very calm, I replied, "You made a mistake. It's okay to make mistakes, we don't have to blame and make excuses." "Oh," she remarked. "No one told me that."