Our Daily Conversations On the Way to School

If you were riding in the car with us in the morning, this is the conversation you would hear. Every day. :)

"We ah we?" (Where are we?)

"You tell me where we are."

"In da cah. Sool." (In the car. School.)

"That's right. We're in the car, going to school."

"Ohhhh-kay."

"We ah we?"

Repeat entire conversation two more times, or until we get to the end of our road, whichever comes first.

Once we turn onto Hwy 63 (7 miles still to go before we get to town), the animal watch begins.

"Whey cows?" (Where are the cows?)

The cows are up here, on the right. Just wait a minute, and we'll see them.

"Ohhhhhhhhh-kay."

"We ah we? Oh, COWS! Oh, no! COWS! Goo Moh-ning, Cows! Goo Moh-ning!" (wave, wave, wave)

I also greet the cows. "Good morning, Cows!" Because that's the way we roll. ;)

"Toooo many cows."

"Yes, there are quite a few. Can we count them?"

"Oh, No. Toooo many. One, two, OH NO! Hoh-sie! (Horsie) Too many hoh-sie! Goo Moh-ning, Hoh-sie! Goo Moh-ning! Mom, Goo Moh-ning Hoh-sie!"

Okay, I will. "Good morning, Horses!"

"Tooooooo many hoh-sies."

"Yes, there ARE a lot of horses, aren't there."

"Oh NO! Cows! Moh cows! (More cows!) "Goo Moh-ning, Cows!"

Repeat entire conversation every time we pass cows or horses. (About 7 times, I'm pretty sure.)

The last mile before we get into town, there are no more animals. So I seize the moment.

"Em, what kind of note do I want to read tonight in your Notebook?"

"Goo Note."

"That's right. I want a good note. What do you need to do, to make sure it's a GOOD note that your teacher writes to me?"

"O-BEY!"

"That's right. When she says it's time to stop coloring, you stop RIGHT THEN. Right?"

"Yight!"

"When she says it's time to line up, you line up RIGHT THEN. Right?"

"Yight!"

"What else do you need to do, to make sure it's a good note in your notebook tonight?"

"No pinch fwends."

"Uh-huh. No pinching. What else?"

"No huht fwends."

"Yep. No hurting friends. Keep your hands OFF of other people, right?"

"Yight!"

"Anything else you should do?"

"Be nice."

"That's right. Anything else?"

"Hahd wook."

"That's right. You should work hard. Do your VERY BEST. No piddle-poking around, right?"

"Yight! Oh, NO!"

"What's wrong?"

"Daddy miss Emma."

(Notice her skill at changing the subject? I'm pretty sure I didn't learn that until at least junior high. LOL)

"Yes, Daddy misses you when you're at school. But he's at school, too, working hard, and he wants YOU to work hard at school, too. He wants to see a good note tonight that says, "Emma worked hard and had a GREAT day today. You know that?"

"Yep. Poh Daddy miss Emma." (Poor daddy misses Emma.) "Daddy key-eye." (Daddy cry.)

"I'm pretty sure Daddy doesn't cry when he's at school, but I know that he is thinking about you, and that he is hoping you are having a good day, and obeying, and working hard."

"Yep. Daddy key-eye." (Daddy cry.)

I have learned there is no debating this subject. She is firm in her belief that Daddy cries when he's at school, because he misses her that much. There is no changing her mind.

By now we're just a few blocks from school. We start seeing school buses.

"Mom! Sool Bus! Fwends!"

"That's right! There's the buses. Some of your friends are on the buses, aren't they?"

"Yep."

"Oh NO!"

"What?"

"Fwends."

"What about your friends?"

"Fwends sad Emma no sool."

"Your friends are sad when you're not in school?"

"Yeah."

"But you're going to be in school today, so they won't be sad, right?"

"Yeah. Fwends happy."

"Okay. Here we are. You have a good day. Be a good listener and what else?"

"O-BEY!"

"That's right. When you have a good day, you make Mommy happy, and Daddy happy, but most importantly, you make Jesus happy, right?"

"Yight. Momma happy."

"That's right. You make Grandma happy, too."

"Poppa happy."

"Uh-huh. Grandpa is happy, too."

"Ya-ya happy."

"Em, I don't think Boomer really cares at all if you have a good day, or not. He's a dog, and dogs don't care about those kinds of things."

"Yep. Ya-ya happy. Yep."

"Okay, well what's MOST important is that we make Jesus happy. And if we make Jesus happy, Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa will be happy, too. You know that?"

"Yep."

I walk with her up to the building, where her 1-to-1 aide is waiting.

"Goo Moh-ning, Miff!" (Good morning, (Mrs.) Smith!)

Mrs. Smith replies with a cheery good morning, and a beautiful smile, and I walk away knowing that my child is in good hands, and is happy. What more could a mom ask for? (Other than maybe a good note from the teacher in that notebook every night. LOL)