The first day of our 3 day outdoor classroom event last month was held at Crazy Head Springs near Ashland, Montana. It was the perfect location and a good time was had by all. I always love this kind of event and this was no exception.
During the course of the day I bonded with a little guy from one of the schools. He was very sweet and very smart and very interested in learning about conservation. As the day progressed, Quinn and I talked more and more and he introduced me to "My Bude" (pronounced Buddy), which was a Pokemon toy.
Somehow my son missed the Pokemon craze, so this was the first one I'd ever seen. It was a funny looking toy, but Quinn was extremely fond of it because his mom had gotten it for him. After lunch, Quinn and a friend were playing tag in the meadow. As we prepared to break up into groups again Quinn came up to me with a stricken look on his face. He had lost Bude!! We began looking for it, but because classes were starting again, Quinn had to leave to go to the water monitoring station. I kept looking.
I looked and I looked and I looked, but still no Bude. I widened my search grid and kept looking. During breaks Quinn came over and helped. Several of the chaperones joined in the search and still no Bude. You could tell that Quinn was upset, but still he wanted to learn about conservation. I felt so bad for him.
It was nearly time for the day to end when I spotted Bude! I could swear I'd walked that area fifteen times and hadn't seen him, but there he was. I picked him up and hurried over to where Quinn was. The smile on his face lit up the world. I kid you not, you could probably have seen it from Mars. He hugged me and thanked me a dozen times. I felt like I'd given him the universe.
We said our goodbyes and he hugged me and thanked me again. It felt so good to have been able to help him find his Bude.
Imagine how great I felt when I got this in the mail a few weeks later. It was from Quinn, sent by his teacher.
Isn't he just the most precious child?
26 comments:
You know lady, I like to think of myself as a tough bitch. You make me cry like this again, and you're gonna ruin my reputation.
No wonder your kid is so great.
Helen the felon is so funny :o)
Laurie, that little boy will NEVER forget you. Isn't that a special feeling? I loved this story and like Helen, I cried. You are so loved.
he is. he so is.
and so are you - you touched him and that is so important in the life of a child. xo
That's a great story! I'm glad you were there to help him out.
(and I love children't art.)
how dear.
He sounds like a budding biologist!
Ha! The up-and-down-and-up wonder of being a child...and the lesson he learned from you about the world that day.
Your gesture touched him. I'm sure it's something he'll never forget about lending a helping hand and trust.
"Reach out and touch somebody's hand...
Make the world a better place -- if you can."
That you did. :-)
This story rocks, and he is!
I think you made an impression on that boy that will last a lifetime. What excellent mentoring.
I looked at your blogroll and we share many of the same reads. Hmmm...interesting!
How sweet. This is such a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.
I love your masthead!
So cute! So nice of you Laurie.
What a doll!
I'm with Nature Woman ... this story absolutely ROCKs ....
(HUGE bear hug) ... b
A day both of you will never forget. Your caring and compassion shine!!!
Helen, I promise your secret is safe with me. And thanks.
Mary, Helen is a s-w-e-e-t-h-e-a-r-t. But you didn't get that from me.
Jen, he touched me more, of that I'm certain.
Thomas, he's quite an artist, isn't he?
Ur-spo, he said he was very interested in biology. You should have seen him looking for aquatic life in the spring water, it was precious.
WW, it's too bad we lose that sense of wonder when we grow up, isn't it?
Naturewoman, yes he does!
Trixie, we DO share a lot of the same blogroll. I'll be over to visit your blog soon.
Squirl, thank you. I'm glad you like it.
Littlepea, it didn't seem like much to me, but I was glad to be able to help.
Courtney, he's adorable.
Wd, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Huge hugs back!
Pam, I'm sure I'll never forget it, and I will keep his artwork as long as I live.
That is beyond precious. Precious.
And so are you :0)
I’m so glad Quinn from Bude! He’s adorable! (The kid, not the toy).
Hi Laurie,
He is adorable. The story -- well actually your telling of the story made me cry. It told as much about you as it did about him. Your heart is such huge.
I find that animals and children bring the essentials of life into focus.
PS: Thanks for using the word "amazing" in relation to my turkey drawing. This drawing thing is so new in my life. I'm not used to thinking of myself as an artist.
Hi...I've tagged you, check out my blog. Have fun if you decide to play.
That is so sweet!
I think that your son might have been too old when Pokemon came out. I know my eleven year old nephew only lost interest in them a few years ago himself...
Ahhhh, the "teachable moment", you taught him never to give up, to care about others, and that friendship and love are everywhere. What a great story! You are precious.
Actualy it was just starting when I was in junior high. I remember some of the kids at other schools getting into it but it never realy hit at my school so I never payed much attention. I dont think I actualy ever got into any of those fads that went around like pokemon and some of the others which I barely rember but Pokemon seems to have stuck around a lot longer than any of the others. I am suprised how long it has lasted.
All is well that ends well.
You are obviously a much kinder, gentler human being than I since you did not give Quinn the prerequisite 'DUH' speech that goes something like this...
"Hey Townie!
Why would you bring this 2 inch goofy icon to Japanese marketing crapola on a field trip to a 50 Million acres of pristine 100% All American wilderness and expect not to lose it?"
I'm glad that you found it and that he wasn't scarred for life. My sons have gone through so many of those strategic marketing Animee products...actually the cycle is so fast now that a NEW thing comes out every 6 months! Maybe the whole thing will implode now and kids can go back to 'making their own fun'.
That was much more what I preferred, making my own fun. A lot of my friends keep bringing up movies and TV shows they saw when they were younger and I can’t say I have seen most of them because I spent a lot of time outside as a kid. I always preferred exploring and running round to the TV or Sega. I much preferred making forts and exploring abandoned houses or walking along the Yellowstone River. Most of my friends spent much of there youth playing video games or behind the TV and I feel bad for them because I have a lot more fun memories than "I remember this one time while playing Zelda..." Some day when I get married and I really would like to adopt, I would love to raise a kid and do my darndist to give him as good of a childhood and raise him as well as my mom raised me.
laurie: ya dun good.
I'd expect nothing less from a cat lover, though.
A special breed, you are.
Cathy, awwww...shucks (*puts hands in pockets, ducks head and blushes*)
Nick, he's definitely a cutie.
Caroline, in my opinion, you captured the essence of the wild turkey. You really are an amazing artist.
Pam, I'm honored. I'll write the post this weekend. :-)
Yogi, thank you!
Bonita, you are entirely too kind.
Wolf (aka son), I know you were never into that kind of thing. You preferred to go to the creek or build forts or work in the shop with grampa.
HE, he was so fond of it, I couldn't stand the thought of him losing it. After all, his mom gave it to him and I'm a mom.
Wolf, don't forget the Secret Place! You and gramp and grams and Mike spent countless hours there. Now Mike takes Shasta up there every single day. :-)
Jock, thank you, Darlin'. Right back atchya!
you are an unusually loving and patient woman Laurie. I'm so happy he let you know how much it meant to him.
xx
pinks
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