Thursday, September 13, 2012

Show & Tell Matters

It's not every day that I get to be the topic of Show & Tell for my 4-year-old niece's class. Today was the big day.

This week at St. Rose School, the PreK class is focused on the letter M so Thursday was the day they could bring something to school that starts with the letter M for Show & Tell. As my sister Colyn talked to Miss C about this at home, Miss C shouted that she'd like to take "Miss Aunt Meg!"

I think it's perfect! 

"Don't let it go to your head," my husband remarked. 
He's probably just jealous, I thought. 

Preparations were in full gear. My sister and niece carefully decorated a white shirt with "Miss Aunt Meg" on the front so that everyone in the class would know Miss C's love name for me. Then, they added other M words on the back of the shirt in puff paint. 

Today, I gently put my new shirt on for the first time and the colors sparkled in the sun that barely peaked through the clouds in Houston. As I proudly walked through the parking lot at work on my "lunch hour" at 2:15 pm, bystanders simply stared in amazement. The shirt was gorgeous.

I arrived in the class at 2:29 pm and was greeted by the teacher assistant, who informed me that Miss C almost cried because she thought I'd forgotten. (Show & Tell didn't start until 2:30 pm so I figured I better stay for awhile to ease my niece's concerns. I'm in this thing for the long haul, I thought.) When the teacher called my niece's name, we both jumped up in excitement. The 4-year-old held my hand, walked me to the front of the room, turned me around to face her friends and beamed her sweet smile. 

"Who is this, C?" the teacher asked.

"Miss Aunt Meg!" Miss C replied as if the teacher couldn't read the masterful shirt. She looked at me, laughing and shook her little head.

The teacher briefly explained that I was likely part of C's family since the word "Aunt" was in my nick name. 

"Why did you decide to bring Miss Aunt Meg to Show & Tell today?" the teacher continued.

"Because she's my best friend," C replied, grabbing my hand. 
Yes, everyone heard the tug at my heart at that moment. We both smiled. 

C went on to explain that she really likes Miss Aunt Meg because sometimes her mom lets C come to Miss Aunt Meg's house to play. (Mind you, it's to play with Little K but I'll take the credit this time.)

The class was allowed to ask 2 questions, both of which were about the movie-star-like shirt I wore. Then, I quietly whispered into C's ear. 

She looked at me in confusion. In all the enthusiasm, she had forgotten that her Mommy also provided single packets of M&Ms for each classmate. She showed everyone two large packages of M&Ms and the kids squealed. 

"They're not from me," C said. "They're from Miss Aunt Meg!" (Well, not really but whatever.)

So, we were the hit of PreK Show & Tell today. I'm not sure if it was the shirt or the candy but either way, I think M is a great letter and being an aunt is fantastic. Hollywood, look out. We're growing talent in Houston. (wink!)

Until the next nap time...