10 Lessons from the 3rd Grade

Tonight at Caribou, my biochemistry review was unexpectedly joined by Demetri, a 3rd grader banished to a coffee shop with his dad for two hours while Mom went to a PTA meeting. Though desperately trying to tune out this typical eight-year-old, I found that my failure to do so actually provided me with a little more insight on life.

Here are 10 of my favorite nuggets of wisdom acquired from Demetri tonight:



1. Don't cry wolf - even when it's fun.
D's homework involved responding to the story about the boy who "cried wolf". His conversation with his Dad went something like this:
D: (reading) "What is the moral of this story?" Is it that you shouldn't play tricks, Dad?
Dad: Yes...because if you play tricks too much, your friends might not trust you after a while.
D: But what if I like to play tricks?
Dad: Well you just can't do it too much because your friends won't trust you after a while.
D: Well, I play tricks all the time and my friends still trust me...
Dad: (Growing impatient) Demetri, like I said, you just can't do it too much or people will think you are lying and they won't trust you anymore.
D: So, like 5 times in a row is bad?
Dad: (No answer)
D: Two times in a row on the bus?
Dad: (Still ignoring)
D: Once in a while?
Dad: Demetri!!!!
D: Okay, okay...(writing) "Don't play too many tricks or your friends may not trust you..."

2. Dads know a lot, but they don't know everything.
Among many arguments with Dad tonight was one over handwriting:
Dad: Demetri, what does that even say? You have to write clearer. Here, like this...
D: But that isn't how we write an "a". It is supposed to look like this....
Dad: Demetri, I have been around for a lot longer than you have. You write an "a" like this....
D: No, Dad! The kids who have the best hand-writing in school write it like THIS.
Dad: Here, let me try to show you one more time....
D: DAD!!! But that's CURSIVE! (unbelieving) It's the THIRD GRADE...We don't know HOW to write in cursive yet!

3. Keep it positive.
D: Did you know that the Bears are still the #1 team overall in the...um...NFC?
Dad: Yes, Demetri...and they are #2 in the whole nation.
D: (speaking proudly) But they are #1 in the whole NFC...

4. Practice makes perfect.
D: So can you teach me how to write in cursive???
Dad: Sure, D. Here is "the" in cursive. You try...
(10 minutes elapse)
D: How is that?
Dad: Wow, D...that's great.
D: (arms raised in victorious fists and marching to and from the door) I know how to write THE in cursive! And the more I do it, the better I will get at it.

5. If you feel like you are being ignored, TALK LOUDER!

6. "Pretend play" is still alive.
This was actually really encouraging to me. Whether it was acting out his future moves as an NFL kicker, holding make-believe conversations with evil opponents, or drawing in his self-made fog on the windows, Demetri encouraged me that 3rd graders still know how to use their imagination.

7. Teabags and trashcans make for good basketball practice.

8. People Need People
Dad: Oh #%^$!
D: What?
Dad: I can't believe this...I just lost all of my work.
D: Everything?
Dad: Everything...Son of a #@%^&! Two hours of work down the drain...
D: Were you connected to the wi...um...the wi thingy.
Dad: Yes, Demetri.
D: Oh....well that's your problem.
(silence)
D: Don't worry, Dad. (Knowingly) I know how exactly how you feel...

9. Patience is a virtue.
Watching Demetri and his dad interact made me realize how important patience is with kids. His dad, already a seasoned veteran, was fair at best. Demetri, on the other hand, survived 2 hours at a coffee shop finding ways to occupy his time until his dad was done with his work. Sometimes the young shame the wise...

10. Don't be afraid to excuse yourself.
Although I will hold on to the unexpected wisdom gained from Demetri tonight, I think I have learned a valuable lesson to politely excuse myself the next time a 3rd grader decides to park it next to me during a biochemistry review.