A few years back, one of my younger sons came home from elementary school excited about a new spelling program his teacher had introduced. “Teacher said it’s going to make us citizens of the world,” he said. I told him to tell me about it while I drove his older brother to the Field and Trak store. We all hopped in the car and the boys laughed when I ran over a box of Miracle Gro that left a blue skunk line down the middle of our driveway.

“I need to go to Valu-Shop too,” his older brother said. “I need krazy glue and ultra brite toothpaste for science class.” I came to expect these odd requests from his science teacher. The week before I had to send in lite cream cheese, and prior to that, soft and dri dryer sheets.

My younger son continued his explanation. “Teacher says no more spelling books or spelling tests. She said we need to spell the words on this list correctly all the time, in every subject. I have to study them tonight.”

“Okay we’ll take a look at them after dinner,” I said. No one in the thru lane next to me would let me in so I had to turn left which took us really far out of our way.

“Teacher said it’s a challenge. What’s a challenge?”

“A challenge is something hard to do but you do it anyway because you know it’s for the best.” I turned back in the right direction and the brake warning light flashed. Luckily there was a Quik Brake a block away in a strip mall near Rite Aid and EZ Furniture.  My older son went to King Kwik to buy grape kool-aid and x-tra strength garbage bags, but I told him no Kreamy Whips until after dinner.

In the Quik Brake waiting room, my younger son looked through the Toys-(reversed)R-Us flyer and I leafed through coupons for Best Pik Shoes and Shop-N-Go. I decided the discounts for scotch gard, snack paks, and Ziploc bags weren’t worth the effort. The small television was playing Kartoon Karnival and advertised Nick-at-Nite. A commercial for AAA reminded me to pick up the Trip Tik to Fudgie’s Deliteful Fudge Factory.

By the time the car was ready it was too late to cook so I stopped by BBQ Chik’n. In the rearview mirror I saw my younger son nodding off. His spelling lesson would have to wait until tomorrow. That was unfortunate since he had been learning in the real world all afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Writer and speaker for children and adults with current focus on Catholic fiction for adults. Fish Sticks--Catholic blog of Victoria Ryan: Significance of Catholic Baby Boomer Experience posts a new essay each Friday (like fish sticks in Lent).