M.O.T.H.E.R. #2
Shall we talk about a subject which mothers know a lot about, but no one will admit to? One that inspires much guilt, but is justified with a shrug of "it had to be done."? I think you all know what I'm talking about. School projects.
Mothers have generally been through school themselves. Yet, when it comes to their children, there is an irresistible tug to ensure their little darlings graduate from kindergarten/grade one/grade twelve/with their projects complete.
It starts innocently enough...
Johnny is a little behind because he was sick with 'that flu' and so his 2 page report on the island of Tristan da Cuhna is sitting on the kitchen table, with only the title page started. Mom looks at it and wonders where in the world Tristan da Cuhna is.
So she sits down and Googles it. Very quickly she finds it on the world map (although no one else could, since it lies midway between Cape Town, South Africa and Buenos Aires, Argentina and is the most remote primary island of the Tristan da Cunha island group, consisting of six islands at approximately 37°15' South, 12°30' West. That's about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) west of South Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean.)
Mom thinks to herself "I will just print out this map for Johnny so he can use it in his project. He'll never be able to find this website anyways.". So she prints it out.
While the map is being printed, just for curiosity's sake, Mom reads more information about this remote island, and finds all sorts of information of which she is sure Johnny is not aware. This includes the fact that the 300 residents of Tristan da Cuhna share seven surnames, and that they make their money selling crafts, and by fishing, and growing potatoes, and of all things,
selling stamps.
Mom thinks it might be fun for Johnny to include some pictures of this island and begins a bit of a bunny hop around the Net to find images.
Surprisingly, there are many, many images to choose from. It's just a matter of picking the right ones.
Mom wonders if there are any animals indigenous to Tristan da Cuhna and finds that the flightless bird called the Night Rail lives on the island. This is interesting to Mom, and she writes down a bit more information about this bird, so Johnny can add it to his report.
Soon, Mom has enough information for Johnny to put together a decent report. She drags out all her 'Creative Memories' tools and begins cutting and pasting for Johnny. In between all the information she has printed, she arranges the pictures. She trims them, and frames them, and finds some cute stickers to add to the pages. In fact, since she has some leftover fancy letters from her stickers, she makes the name "TRISTAN DA CUHNA - The Lost Island" - a report by Johnny and creates a stunning title page.
By now, Mom is realizing that Johnny is nowhere around and the report is almost finished. She calls him in from street hockey, and insists that he look at what she's done, so that when the teacher asks him questions about the industry of Tristan Da Cuhna, and the people who live there, and where abouts in the world he would find the island, he will be well informed.
Johnny stays with Mom for a few minutes. She tells him to
"glue this picture onto that page.
.........
no, no, not that one
....................
this one.......
no, no....not there....here, let me do it".
Eventually, Johnny loses interest in his project and goes back to street hockey. Mom however, is now totally invested in Tristan da Cuhna, and stays up, burning the midnight oil, until it is done. Then she puts it on the kitchen table, for Johnny to take to school in the morning. As she stumbles into bed, one thought is on her mind. "I hope I get a good mark."
Mothers have generally been through school themselves. Yet, when it comes to their children, there is an irresistible tug to ensure their little darlings graduate from kindergarten/grade one/grade twelve/with their projects complete.
It starts innocently enough...
Johnny is a little behind because he was sick with 'that flu' and so his 2 page report on the island of Tristan da Cuhna is sitting on the kitchen table, with only the title page started. Mom looks at it and wonders where in the world Tristan da Cuhna is.
So she sits down and Googles it. Very quickly she finds it on the world map (although no one else could, since it lies midway between Cape Town, South Africa and Buenos Aires, Argentina and is the most remote primary island of the Tristan da Cunha island group, consisting of six islands at approximately 37°15' South, 12°30' West. That's about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) west of South Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean.)
Mom thinks to herself "I will just print out this map for Johnny so he can use it in his project. He'll never be able to find this website anyways.". So she prints it out.
While the map is being printed, just for curiosity's sake, Mom reads more information about this remote island, and finds all sorts of information of which she is sure Johnny is not aware. This includes the fact that the 300 residents of Tristan da Cuhna share seven surnames, and that they make their money selling crafts, and by fishing, and growing potatoes, and of all things,
selling stamps.
Mom thinks it might be fun for Johnny to include some pictures of this island and begins a bit of a bunny hop around the Net to find images.
Surprisingly, there are many, many images to choose from. It's just a matter of picking the right ones.
Mom wonders if there are any animals indigenous to Tristan da Cuhna and finds that the flightless bird called the Night Rail lives on the island. This is interesting to Mom, and she writes down a bit more information about this bird, so Johnny can add it to his report.
Soon, Mom has enough information for Johnny to put together a decent report. She drags out all her 'Creative Memories' tools and begins cutting and pasting for Johnny. In between all the information she has printed, she arranges the pictures. She trims them, and frames them, and finds some cute stickers to add to the pages. In fact, since she has some leftover fancy letters from her stickers, she makes the name "TRISTAN DA CUHNA - The Lost Island" - a report by Johnny and creates a stunning title page.
By now, Mom is realizing that Johnny is nowhere around and the report is almost finished. She calls him in from street hockey, and insists that he look at what she's done, so that when the teacher asks him questions about the industry of Tristan Da Cuhna, and the people who live there, and where abouts in the world he would find the island, he will be well informed.
Johnny stays with Mom for a few minutes. She tells him to
"glue this picture onto that page.
.........no, no, not that one
....................this one.......
no, no....not there....here, let me do it".
Eventually, Johnny loses interest in his project and goes back to street hockey. Mom however, is now totally invested in Tristan da Cuhna, and stays up, burning the midnight oil, until it is done. Then she puts it on the kitchen table, for Johnny to take to school in the morning. As she stumbles into bed, one thought is on her mind. "I hope I get a good mark."
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