The Graduate

The Graduate

Since he first learned to talk, Krischan has asked me virtually every question a grandson could possibly ask a grandfather.  To name a few: 

What happens when the tooth fairy’s tooth falls out?

If the moon is made of green cheese, then why is it yellow?

Why do you shave your face and Yia-Yia shaves her legs?

How do babies come out of their mommy’s tummy?  Are they pooped out?

I thought I’d heard most everything until this one came out of his mouth last Friday night:

G-Pa, are you proud of me?

Here’s some background to give the question a little perspective: Twelve hours earlier Krischan graduated from kindergarten.  He couldn’t wait to tell me he was now ‘a first grader.’  He was obviously bursting with pride and wanted to know if the feeling was mutual. 

Wow, my grandson is going into the first grade.  It seems like only yesterday I was spoon-feeding him his pureed fruits and vegetables…teaching him not call his toys  ‘mine’ when playing with others…reading him The Cat in the Hat.

Over the nine months Krischan has been keeping me well informed of what he’s been learning in kindergarten.  I remember my mom and dad asking me what I learned in school when I was a young boy and my answer was always the same: ‘Nothing.’  Krischan is different; he always has something new to tell me at the end of the week. 

I learned to count to 100.  One, two, three…*

(*Yes, he made it all the way to 100)

Blue and yellow make green.

George Washington was our first President; he’s the Father of our Country.

Frogs are tadpoles before they become frogs.

A paleontologist is someone who studies dinosaurs.

But wait, it gets better.  The past five or six weeks Krischan has been doing simple arithmetic—adding and subtracting single-digit numbers, primarily—in his head.  For the really tough ones he may break out a finger or two but for the most part, as I said, he does it all in his head.

He’s also starting to read.  The first time I realized it was when we were at the Golden Arches a few weeks ago and he started reading the side of his Happy Meal box to me.  I listened intently as he sounded aloud one letter after another, finally saying them all together until he could come up with a word he recognized.  I know it’s been a while but I don’t think I was that far along until third or fourth grade (forgive me; as I said it’s been a while). 

With a huge smile on his face Krischan proudly showed me his green Kindergarten Keepsake notebook chronicling his first year in the public education system.  Inside the flap of the front cover was a Certificate for his Excellence in Social Studies.  According to his mom he was the only child in kindergarten to receive this distinction.  I asked Krischan what social studies were and his reply was honest, sincere and concise: ‘I don’t know.’   While he understands most of our National Holidays, the duties of the President and the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, Krischan doesn’t recognize these things as social studies; he knows them as ‘America.’        

As I mentioned previously last Friday night Krischan was anxious to know if I was proud of his promotion to the first grade. Knowing he wanted to hear the words from his G-Pa out loud I answered: ‘Yes I am very, very proud of you.’   

If Krischan hadn’t been so excited and paying closer attention he might have noticed a tear or two welling up in my eyes. 

If he had I wouldn’t have needed to say a word.  The answer would have been obvious.

Even to a first grader.