Mad Hatting

27-03-2012

The school has a habit of springing things on us. We seem to be the only people that have this problem. I'm not sure where the other parents are getting their information but it always seems that we're the odd ones out when it comes to things going on at the school.
Yesterday we received the newsletter saying that they were looking forward to the kids' easter bonnets tomorrow, by which I mean today. This was the first that we'd heard of it but we accepted the challenge.

Jack and I cleared our afternoon schedule and set too as soon as we got home. I made him a simple hat out of paper and he decorated it. A little glue, an easter bonnet decorating kit and a few hours later we declared it a success.

In the morning I walked Jack to school with our millinery in tow. As we neared the school we got a look at the other hats and I must admit I felt a little inferior. Each bonnet was more extravagant than the last. I recognised several elements of the same decorating kit we'd used put to much more proficient use in many of the hats. Jack's was the only stove top style, the only one made of card paper and clearly the only one decorated exclusively by a 5 year old. I consoled myself by reminding myself that we only had a few rushed hours.

Later today I arrived again at the school to collect Jack. He enthusiastically handed me all his belongings including his hat, which had fared well through the day, he also handed me a big cadbury easter egg.

What's this?
It's my prize.
For what?
For having the best hat...


I must admit I welled up a little bit with pride. I revelled in shortly afterward hearing some of the other children admit to their parents that they didn't win the easter bonnet contest, "Jack did with his funny hat." I proudly paraded Jack out of the classroom under the critical eye of all the other entries' parents and recalled a Simpsons episode where Lisa and Ralph (I'm Idaho) won awards for being the only two kids that obviously didn't have any help from their parents.