Thanks for Coming!

For many years when the kids were young, I served as director of a local preschool. It was a small school and while I had a great staff and a loyal army of amazing parent volunteers, I sometimes needed to dedicate additional hours in the school building for special events. For many of these occasions, my children got dragged along were my loyal companions for set up, clean up and everything in between.

When Jay was around 12, the kids and I spent an afternoon all together at the school getting ready for one of the preschool’s signature events, the International Potluck Supper. Jay was especially bored and bugged me to find something for him to do. I wasn’t in a position to entertain him. Consumed with the rush of last minute preparations, I had plenty already to get done myself. “I’m sure you can find something, Buddy.” I encouraged him, “Be creative.”

Off he went. I was grateful to have some quiet time in which I could hustle around and focus on finishing touches.Eventually, Jay returned with a proud look in his eyes. “Come here,” he said, ushering me in the direction of the school entrance. He led me outside where I could see that he’d set up our portable message board along the front walk. On the one side that would greet the arriving families later that evening, Jay had carefully placed the letters to read, 

On the flip side, for those departing, he messaged,

Super sweet, right? He’d definitely gotten creative with his time. I was pretty proud of his effort. He clearly was proud too. We both agreed that the evening’s guests would appreciate these thoughtful sentiments. High five, Buddy!

The event, as always, was a huge success. Lots of preschool families from a number of different countries of origin enjoyed an evening of delicious food and friendly conversation. As things wound down, we said goodnight to everyone and set ourselves to the task of cleaning up and putting things away. Tables were collapsed, chairs stacked, dishwashers loaded, counters cleaned, floors vacuumed.

At the last minute we remembered the sign and I sent Jay out to grab it. He returned with a look of intense irritation.

I was confused. What on earth could have happened in the few moments it took for him to step outside? I didn’t have to wait long to discover the source of his frustration. He heaved the sign down and gestured angrily at it. “Oh boy,” I sighed.

I tried to imagine the circumstances that led to this moment: Perhaps, among the guests that evening, there was another mother whose 12 year old was tugging at her, insisting he was bored, begging her to find him some entertainment. She was enjoying her time with great company and delicious food and she might have encouraged him just the way I’d encouraged Jay hours before, “Go find something to do. Be creative.” And, like Jay, he saw the sign and became intrigued by the possibilities it presented. But this child’s options for messaging were limited. He only had at his disposal the letters that were currently in use on either side of the sign.  So he really had to be creative!

I guessed that he’d probably gotten started early enough that Jay’s very sweet and kind sentiment -- “Thanks for coming!” -- was not seen or appreciated by anyone. Instead, at the close of a pleasant evening, our departing guests came upon one final, ridiculous message that must have left them confused or -- depending on their appreciation for certain types of humor -- slightly amused. As they exited the building, our guests were met with this: 

We tried really hard not to laugh hysterically because Jay was pretty hurt. But it wasn’t long before “Thanks for pooping!” became our usual send-off to friends and family after a fun night together. Jay grew to appreciate the humor in it and – eventually – learned to laugh right along with us.