Reflection and Rejoicing

David, off to Kindergarten at Jefferson

Take a deep breath. Pause for just a moment with me. I am not sure how this happened, but my youngest child, the wildly-imaginative-vocabulary-boy of old, has just graduated from college. Seriously. I walked by his old elementary school this past week. We still live in the same neighborhood, so that actually occurs frequently, but this time I had a special surprise. Who should be coming out the doors but David’s first grade teacher, Dee Tiedeman! It was so very good to see her. Because I am such a generous individual, I let her feel the weight of aging that I feel, by sharing with her the news of David’s impending graduation. I remember her as a master at handling the quirks that made David so wonderfully David. He was probably reading at about a sixth grade level in first grade and had language skills to match. His handwriting was barely legible (still is) and he found it hard to talk without pacing (still does) or sit without tipping his chair (yep). He was a detective and a pirate and so many more things. One day, David let Ms. Tiedeman know that he would be writing all his assignments in code. (In reality, this meant he didn’t want to take the time or effort to write actual letters and wanted, instead, simply to scribble and turn that in as a completed assignment.) Being the savvy teacher that she was, she told him that would be fine, as long as he included the key to the code. Foiled again!

David is graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre and English Writing, to no one's surprise. He has been theatrical since Day 1, and could fully “work” a room long before he had language.  He even seemed to (mostly) enjoy our weekly family poetry nights in the summer, when each of the kids recited a memorized poem or two for the rest of us. He also wrote poetry quite well, even as a young child, and his prose was hilarious, so full of “voice” that even his science fair project summaries could only have been written by him. Just for fun, here are a couple of his early poems:

School Duck  (4/03, 9.5 years old)

By David Traff

A duck has nested by our school

And the principal made a rotten rule,

No one can go by the duck's nest.

I guess for the duck, they want the best.

I'm not going anywhere near.

If I do, oh what a fear!

If I go near I'll get detention

So to the rule, I'll pay attention.

Summer Colds (7/04, 10.5 years old)

By David Traff

A summer cold is very annoying.

You might even say it's purpose-destroying,

For the purpose of summer is to be happy and free,

But a brutish cold imprisons me.

Yes, a cold is very confining,

And I do not enjoy my freedom declining.

I miss my strength, which the illness holds.

These are the reasons I hate summer colds.

David, in the fall of 2004

I have so many delightful memories of David’s childhood days. Back in 2005, I wrote this about David:

The Traff Troupe, 1995

“Ahh, the fourth child! …I think it about sums it up to say that his first word after 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' was 'tickle-tickle.' His siblings were lavishing love on him (and tickling him) for most of his first year of life. From the time he was born, it seems like he has been trying to catch up to the 'other guys.' Early on, we dubbed him our Vocabulary Boy. It seemed like he would find a new word and then just wait for the opportunity to spring it on us. I laughed hard the day our five-year-old David was digging through his messy room looking for some lost treasure. When he told me about how he had found a different lost treasure, he reported the incident in typical David fashion, using the word serendipity to perfection. He especially loved his years at Jefferson, as he felt a connection to the place from the earliest days of his life. He almost always accompanied me when I went over there to pick up the bigger kids or to volunteer.  David learned to read as a preschooler as well and was reading the Oz books by the time he was a Kindergartner. He has always had a hard time sitting still, but he seemed to be blessed with teachers that understood that shortcoming….He has a great creative energy, a real love for reading, a strong competitive side (good and bad), and a love of traditions.  I’m not sure what David will pursue as a career, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued with music or writing on some level.”

I guess I wasn’t far off eleven years ago! As a child, David was definitely quotable and entertaining. I have certainly shared these stories before, but here are just a few of my favorite Davidisms:

December 17, 1996 (3 years, 1 month)

We were admiring our photograph ornaments one day. David was especially interested in the year he was a baby. He looked carefully at all the kids in the picture and commented, “When I was a baby, Joseph was wearing my clothes!”

Curious David, 1996

March 25, 1997 (3 years, 4 months) When noticing his play sword in its almost permanent "up high" place, David requested in his most plaintive voice, "Would you please get the sword down for me? I won't hit anybody with it. I will just hit the Philistines."

September 13, 1997 (3 years, 10 months) R.J. said, "David that is not your sock." David replied simply, "It tastes like it."

January 11, 1998 (4 years, 2 months) David came into the bathroom just after I had his toothbrush and all the others ready for the kids. David looked at them and said, "Good. You've already watered them." I said, "Oh, so now are they going to grow?" David giggled at the silliness of that thought and replied, "No! You used sink water, not hose water!"

August 1, 1998 (4 years, 8 months) We were visiting friends for the day. They had several toy guns, which fascinated David. He kept "shooting" me, and I kept telling him not to do that. Finally he came right up to me and clicked that little toy gun one more time. I was sitting on the couch, and I took that gun away from David and put it behind my back, saying, "David! That is enough! I asked you to please stop shooting me. Now stop!" David said, without missing a beat, "Did you WANT that moose sitting on your lap?"

This Philistine-fighting, piano-playing, vocabulary-slinging, sleeve-chewing little boy grew up into a faith-filled, piano-playing, story-writing, theatrically-performing young man. He’s ready for the next adventure, wherever it might take him. I am so very proud to be his mom today, just as I have been every day of his life.

Congratulations, David! Well done!

Us, in 1994 and again 2016