Who knew first grade homework could be such a challenge? John was going to oversee the reading.
I thought I could figure out what to do with a printed sheet. We failed. I wrote the following explanation in Logan’s notebook for the teacher to read:
We’re the neighbors and definitely feeling like subs. Logan read silently, so we don’t know how many pages he covered. He said he did a chapter. It has been 68 and 69 years since we were in first grade, and we didn’t know what to do with the paper. Logan said, *sigh* “I have to do the parent’s homework for you.” *sigh* He cut up the pictures, arranged them perfectly under the three columns by “o” sound, and put them in the plastic bag. Hope we do a better job next time. Teachers have our utmost admiration.
The next day started off early. Logan got up at 6:15 and found John in front of his computer.
“I thought you’d be out walking,” Logan said.
John reassured him, “No, we would never leave you alone in the house.”
“Don’t you always go walking early?” Logan asked.
John replied, “When you aren’t here, we do. We’ll walk later after you’ve gone to school.”
He must have been a bit worried about being here with us. We think it remarkable that this was the first instance of his showing it. He is only six years old!
After school, Logan’s notebook was open on the kitchen table. Guess what! WE GOT A STICKER!!! “Well done,” it said.
The teacher wrote, “A sticker for all your help and support for Logan and his parents. We all appreciate you.”
Grandparent subbing doesn’t get much better than that.
Mehrling Muse 
Congratulations on your fun sticker, you done good!
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Sticker gratification says it all. Ya done good!
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He’s a very lucky boy to have you so close and willing to help. You’re lucky he’s so bright.
xxx Gigantic Hugs xxx
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Logan is bright. John asked if he wanted to take a shower or a bath. He didn’t say the word shower, he spelled it correctly, without hesitation.
xxx sticky hugs xxx. (I cleaned up the remains of his chocolate cupcake.)
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You and John are a blessing to Logan and his parents. Good job!
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Thanks, Kim. It goes both ways! Logan’s mom may come home from the hospital tomorrow.
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That’s great! Send her prayers for a speedy recovery from me!🙏
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Congratulations on the Disney sticker! (I liked your note to the teacher, by the way.) 🙂
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Thanks, Bun. The very last job I would consider taking would be a teaching job. The most awful thing in the world would be to face a sea of faces defying you to get any knowledge in their heads. For that reason, I hold teachers in high regard. Millions of them do things every day that I would never do. Kudos to teachers!
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I’d find teaching kids a tough job too. I agree with you: kudos to teachers! 🙂
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Job well done! What a treat to be grandparent subs!!
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I love watching John play with Logan. The two obviously adore each other. John is very good with discipline, knowing where to draw the line so that the boy does not overstep the bounds. This means I can relax, too, not having to be quite so vigilant all the time.
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That is truly beautiful. Little boys need men of strong character in their developing lives, especially outside his own home! It’s also beautiful that your John takes such a loving interest in his well being!!
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This is such a sweet story. I wonder if Logan was curled up in that big chair in the wee hours of the morning, watching for you, thinking you were out walking. So sweet. What a joy for you to have him like that. 🙂
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I have no idea what time Logan climbed onto the recliner. The next morning he said he had been covered. When I looked back at the dim photo, I could see a plaid throw scrunched under him that he had taken from the back of the chair. Wonder why he didn’t stay covered? I do hope he went back to sleep after I covered him with a green throw. We enjoyed having him. His parents say he asks to come over here frequently to visit after school, though we don’t see him as often as that sounds.
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That is so very nice for all of you. I never really knew my grandparents and would have loved having a couple like you two in my young life. God bless you for reaching out and loving that child. 🙂
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All children could benefit from having extra grandparents. I had an extra set next door when I was growing up. I called Mr. and Mrs. Johnston “Johntee” and “Jimbo”. Johntee always let us reach in her magically bottomless cookie jar and take two homemade chocolate chip cookies. She raised African violets and let me take cuttings home. My special time with Jimbo was on their porch. I’d see him working the crossword puzzle in the newspaper and crimb up beside him on the swing. He would let me “help” him.
“Here is one you know. An article, three letters. What is that?” I knew the word was “the”.
I haven’t thought of those scenes in a long, long time. It is definitely payback time for being a neighborhood grandparent.
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