Sickness and Third Graders

We are grateful that, despite their coughing that sounds louder and more deep-chested than Hansie barking at the sheep, the sick ones are on the mend.

I was talking to Paul's sister Lois about taking Ben to the doctor and how vindicated I felt when it turned out there was actually something wrong with him. Is this a universal mom thing, or is it just frugal Mennonite moms without insurance who make it a point of pride to never take a child to the doctor unnecessarily? As Lois said, it's the one time when you want your child to be as sick as possible, just to prove your point. Like many moms, I've discovered that the surest way to bring the temperature down, shrink the swelling, calm the cough, and reduce the pain is to show up at the doctor's office. And when it turns out to be just a virus, I pin on the virtual Inept Mom badge.

Different subject:
This morning I once again spoke to about sixty third graders at Spring Creek Elementary School in Eugene about being a writer. It was so much fun. I love this age. They sat quietly, listened well, and asked lots of questions--"Do you write on a computer? How old were you when you started writing??--and got off on a big discussion of ages and birthdays--theirs, their parents', mine, my children's--until Mrs. Fischer gently got the conversation back on track.

Mrs. Fischer, by the way, is the teacher whose testimonial appears in the back of Upstairs, on the page about being available for speeches. I made sure I pointed that out to the kids.

Afterwards one child came up and shyly said, "You inspired me!" Another one made my day by whispering, oh so sweetly:

Quote of the Day:
"I think you're very pretty!"