Just Being Erin

September 25, 2007

Every weekday morning I take Erin to school, and every afternoon I pick her up. Doing so is a constant in my life. The mornings may vary a little. Sometimes I just drive through the traffic circle and drop her off. If she has something bulky to carry, like a project or weekly classroom snacks, I park and walk in with her. The afternoon duty never varies. I park. I walk in. I wait for Erin to finish socializing.

On Monday, as I walked across the parking lot, her principal David Ogden took a momentary break from directing traffic to say, "Erin is one of the most diplomatic children I have ever met."

Two thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously: 1. It's a joy to have children on each end of the diplomacy spectrum; and 2. Who did Erin insult so tactfully and graciously that the principal considers her diplomatic?

Apparently, earlier in the day, Erin's teacher had sent her to the office to retrieve some paper for the classroom printer. Mr. Ogden found some for her and sent her on the way with this admonition: "Mrs. K will need to pay $100 for the paper." Erin stopped in her tracks and lifted an eyebrow to Mr. Ogden, who assured her that he was joking, but that Erin should give Mrs. K his message anyway.

Later Mr. Ogden happened into Mrs. K's room on another mission, saw Erin, and asked her if she had given Mrs. K his message. Erin nodded, and Mr. Ogden wanted to know the response. Erin apparently attempted to save Mrs. K's bacon by saying, "Mrs. K said that she can't afford to pay at this time." Mr. Ogden glanced over at Mrs. K, who said, "What I said was 'TOO BAD'."

Little Miss Erin will soon be putting her unique spin on things to a broader audience. She will serve on the video announcement team at her school. What does this mean? Twice a week she will head to school early (what was Mrs. Freeze thinking when she thought that Erin could get to school before the last minute?) and either announce, run the camera, or do the music and special effects for the school-wide broadcast of daily announcements. I'm pretty sure this is exactly like what Katie Couric does everyday, so it could be her big break.