Smiles!

It has been a good week for us wrt son.

He enjoyed his cricket match (his team won) which finished earlier than expected, continued to play"fun" cricket while waiting for his piano exam, and looked surprisingly relaxed.

He emerged from exam earlier than expected and while I was head down between pages of The Ecologist (the one with a near-naked man on the cover) a voice chirped up beside me, "I think I might get a distinction."

And there he was grinning from ear to ear with a look that exuded nothing but pure confidence.

He was soon followed by his music teacher (on a crutch) who confirmed that he had done well from what he could hear on the other side of the door.

Son did confess to making two mistakes.

I told son I do not now care whether he merely passed, passed with merit, or even a distinction, but to see that look of confidence after the exam was priceless.

For a boy who gets upset that he could not do some things right (perfect) the first time (especially in the pool), who froze at his handwriting competition because the rules were changed slightly, and who crawls under the piano when a practice does not go well, for him to say, "I enjoyed the exam. It was easy," was the best treat I've had for ages.

So we wait in anticipation for the results.

O! To top it all, he also won the Junior School Shield for Pupil of the Week. His citation reads: for being calm and collected for the whole week! This is probably the last week in the year that the Shield is being awarded. He is delighted to have won it, his fourth time in three years.

What joy!