Hickory Dickory Dock

While it would be nice to bask in slow motion, I know this is not an option so I try to suck up every minute, moment and memory. It was his preschool graduation tonight, such a bitter sweet ceremony. It was surreal to see little Coop marching down the aisle in his cap and gown and funny to finally witness what he’s like in front of a crowd. I had been convinced that, with Coop having two goofballs for parents, he didn’t stand a chance on dodging the class clown status and tonight it was confirmed.

I snapped pictures as the children marched to their seats and when I realized that each child would have their own speaking part…I got nervous. Coop mentioned nothing about his debut and I’m not sure he knew he would be standing up in front of a crowd until the other children took their turn. Throughout the program, he was all smiles until it was time for him to meet the microphone…and then he choked. I wanted to run up to the front and recite it with him but even I couldn’t remember the entire rhyme.

The teacher made an effort to guide him through the piece but the stage fright had already kicked in. It’s all fun and games until someone has to speak into the mike. He managed to get out mumble a few words and ran back to his seat. He was clearly embarrassed and I was afraid that he would think everyone was laughing at him and not with him. Tough crowd. Afterwards, he turned his back to the crowd and had his head down but it didn’t take long for him to spin around with a grin on his face. He glanced over heads to find the expression on our faces and we were smiling big and giving him the thumbs up. For all I care, he could have been picking his nose and I still would have given him a standing ovation. I was so proud of him tonight and it’s a memory I will never let go of…mostly because I have video footage.