tree huggers

there is something almost surreal about sitting in a room listening to another individual discuss your child's relative strengths and weaknesses. tonight was parent-teacher night at my seven-year-old daughter's school. due to heavy traffic, i inadvertently arrived a few minutes late for the appointment. my wife and child's teacher were busy glancing at some of the students' artwork when i entered the classroom. "we were waiting for you."

now properly rebuked, i pulled up a chair, a miniature chair, and tried my best to find a comfortable position. but within seconds a queasy unease began to settle in the pit of my stomach as the reality of the situation slowly sank in. and for only the third or fourth time since my kid entered kindergarten, i was about to hear the cold, hard facts concerning my daughter's academic abilities and work habits. "so are we ready to begin?"

the teacher's initial comments were certainly pleasant enough. words like diligent, creative, generous and thoughtful were most definitely music to a father's ears. and laudatory descriptions of my daughter's reading, writing and arithmetic acumen further brought a smile to my already-beaming face. "but of course, there are some issues that require our attention."

so... apparently my eldest is a bit touchy. no, not in the sense of being overly sensitive. but rather in the sense of being highly physical towards her classmates. not in an aggressive manner, mind you. no, the way the teacher explained it, my daughter possesses a rather pronounced penchant for hugging her fellow second-graders. some kid in the room wrote a poor quiz. hug it out. some kid in the room fell and scraped his knee. hug it out. some kid in the room exhibited a stubborn cough. hug it out.

oddly enough, my wife and i have been attempting to correct this so-called flaw in our offspring's character for quite some time now. in fact, for as long as our firstborn could walk, she was always looking to wrap her arms around someone or something in a personal show of affection or empathy. and to be honest, i'm not really sure where she picked up on this peculiar little habit as neither my wife nor i are particularly touchy-feely ourselves. personally i blame my mother though, as i have long been aware of the grand ol' dame's predilection for chatting up complete strangers on the elevator while my daughter looked on. it probably started there.

"other than that, i have nothing really negative to say about your daughter."

great song. great effects. questionable casting.