I Heart Pandas
I picked Mary up at Zoo School and drove her to Lincoln High over the lunch hour. The Lincoln High debate team is headed to Norfolk for National Qualifiers.
"Do you think I will have time to work on schoolwork?" she asked as she pulled out text books and tried to fit them in her briefcase with her laptop and debate case.
"I think that you will work on your case all the way up there and then spend all afternoon and evening debating until you go to the hotel and hang out with your friends in the pool and then you're debating all day tomorrow and will probably sleep all the way home."
She laughed. "I think you're right."
At the school she pulled out her brief case, her overnight bag, and her bag of snacks.
"Do you have everything?" I asked.
"Everything but a hug!" she said.
"Have fun! Good luck!" I said.
She flashed me a smile and turned to walk into the school. Her maturity really hit me at that moment. She is only 14 years old. She reluctantly joined debate this year and I went with her to the first few tournaments to help out the team, but primarily just to get Mary to agree to go. She went from insisting that I drive her to tournaments, to suggesting that other team members ride with us, to wanting to ride the bus with her team even though I was driving separately. My mom pointed out that this is Mary's Way and she transitions slowly. It's true. And once she is comfortable, it's fine. Just a few months later she is confidently packing for an overnight trip for an important debate tournament. I was glad to see the giant panda face on her bag of snacks proclaiming, "I heart Pandas." As Mary would say, "Keep it real, bro."
"Do you think I will have time to work on schoolwork?" she asked as she pulled out text books and tried to fit them in her briefcase with her laptop and debate case.
"I think that you will work on your case all the way up there and then spend all afternoon and evening debating until you go to the hotel and hang out with your friends in the pool and then you're debating all day tomorrow and will probably sleep all the way home."
She laughed. "I think you're right."
At the school she pulled out her brief case, her overnight bag, and her bag of snacks.
"Do you have everything?" I asked.
"Everything but a hug!" she said.
"Have fun! Good luck!" I said.
She flashed me a smile and turned to walk into the school. Her maturity really hit me at that moment. She is only 14 years old. She reluctantly joined debate this year and I went with her to the first few tournaments to help out the team, but primarily just to get Mary to agree to go. She went from insisting that I drive her to tournaments, to suggesting that other team members ride with us, to wanting to ride the bus with her team even though I was driving separately. My mom pointed out that this is Mary's Way and she transitions slowly. It's true. And once she is comfortable, it's fine. Just a few months later she is confidently packing for an overnight trip for an important debate tournament. I was glad to see the giant panda face on her bag of snacks proclaiming, "I heart Pandas." As Mary would say, "Keep it real, bro."
posted by Lea at 10:56 AM
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