the things kids say...

My daughter was given an assignment to complete from school.

It's called an 'alpha-biography'.

I know, I know. Don't feel bad, I didn't know what it was either. I don't remember ever having to compose an alpha-biography while in school. But then maybe I did, they just didn't have a haughty-taughty name for it.

But of course, being 10 and knowing everything, my daughter was more than happy to inform me of what an alpha-biography was. How silly of me!

She was assigned the letter "F". The title of her piece is "F is for Friendship". I immediately thought of "C is for Cookie, and cookie is for me" from Sesame Street. Fact is, that damn song is now still running through my head. Just what I need, the entire cast of Sesame Street in my head causing havoc. As if this damn flu wasn't enough.

To complete her assignment she sat down at the computer, pulled up Microsoft Word and started typing. 4 minutes later she said, "I'm done!"

"Done? Already? You just sat down!"

"Nope. Done. Spellchecked and everything.", she answered rather smugly.

So I sat down to proof read her work, perhaps give a few suggestions. Tweak it a little. But I wasn't needed. It was a little window into the world that I will be entering into in the near future. Pretty soon I'm sure that she won't need me at all. My checkbook perhaps, but I should be reveling in her independence.

This is what my daughter wrote in those 4 minutes...

"Friends are like pets. They come and they go all the time. Sometimes they stay your friend for most of your life, sometimes they don't. I once had a friend named Rebeca. She was my best friend when I was in Kindergarten. Now I don't even know where she goes to school. Does she remember that we used to go to school together? Or does she even think of me? I remember that she used to help me with my school work, tell me what the teacher meant, and also was a good friend. I know that some friends may not remember you, but you surely will hold them dear and you will treasure those memories forever.

Friendship is precious. You only can get a good friend a handful of times.Don't waste the good times and forget the bad ones. As Walt Disney once said, "You have to always let go of the past and keep moving forward."

Isn't she genius?

Isn't that fabulous?

I didn't help her, I didn't even know what she was writing. I didn't even help her with punctuation. I know I wasn't that smart when I was ten. Or that insightful. Or talented. Or sensitive.

Oh my.

But this is the same kid that right before school started told me she was "in dire need of a manicure."

Dire.

Need.

Manicure.

Need was probably in my vocabulary base, but manicure wasn't. Dire? I didn't even know the word until the band the 'Dire Straits'.

But she has a very good point. Let go of the bad, hold onto the good. Look forward, not back. Treasure your memories but don't torture yourself with bad ones. Good friends are precious. Forget about the rest.

Damn.

Not much I can say to top that.

I wish I were as smart as my daughter.

I sure am glad that she's around. Out of the mouths of babes we can all learn lessons.

Perhaps she can educate my sorry ass.

Out of the mouths of babes...

:-)