As a first grader, Jackson is eligible to participate in PSIA at school, which is a private school UIL competition. He was eligible for Creative Writing and Storytelling. When these opportunities came up, I thought they were great opportunities to expand his academic mind. He agreed to go, and actually came home after the first practice saying that he enjoyed it. :)
To get him ready for his creative writing class, Jackson and I practiced making up stories. The first time he did this, I said, "Ok, make up a story that includes a dog, a fishing pole, and a boy." Jackson thought for a minute and said, "Once upon a time, there was a boy. He took his dog and fishing pole and went fishing. The end." Oh Lord. And tryouts are in how many weeks? I told him he did a great job making up that story and made a mental note to just let the teacher handle teaching his creative writing skills.
So we moved on to practicing for storytelling. We decided that Daddy would be the judge. So I took Jackson into my bedroom and read him a story. He then had to go out into the living room and tell the story to Dad. I went out first and sat next to Jody and announced Jackson's name. He timidly walked out and stood in front of us. I said, "Ok, let's hear the story." His fingers immediately went to his mouth and he would not say a word. Bless his little heart. I was ready to tell him he didn't have to do storytelling. Just call it quits! If this makes you uncomfortable, you DO NOT have to do this! Come give mommy a hug! But...Jody said, "This is SO good for Jackson. It is out of his comfort zone, and it's a skill he needs to learn." Oh Lord.
So he continued in both creative writing and storytelling.
And...he made the team for both! I seriously could not be more proud of him. Not necessarily for making the team. He made me proud when he continued to go and practice things that were new and difficult. He even saw them as enjoyable.
Jackson, we could not ask for a better son. You have made us proud.
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