Retirement Gifts

The director of Madeleine's preschool is retiring at the end of this school year, and parents past and present are feeling very sentimental about it.  As part of a special good-bye gift from the entire school, the Parent Committee is putting together a book of memories from the mouths of babes.  Today I sat down with Madeleine to give her the prompt question: "What I love most about Mrs. G..."

ME: Madeleine, what do you love most about Mrs. G?
MADELEINE: Well Mama?  Did you know that we got to have POPCORN for snack today?
ME: Wow!  But can you tell me what you love most about Mrs. G?
MADELEINE: Ummm...she gives out really good SNACKS.
ME: Uh, okay.  And what else?
MADELEINE: Umm...she gives out good JUICE.
ME: Okay.  And what does she do that's NOT about snack time?
MADELEINE: (thoughtful) Uh...makes up the RULES?
ME: Okaaay...but what else does she do that's really special that you love?
MADELEINE: Um, she gets out paper for pictures.  Because I love to draw hearts!
ME: Okay.  So what else is great about Mrs. G?
MADELEINE: Uh, she tells Finn not to call me LAME.
ME: What?
MADELEINE: Finn called me "lame" today, and she said not to SAY that.

Great.  That's a perfect memory for the school gift.  "The thing I love most about Mrs. G is that she tells Finn not to call me lame."

Anyway, I was finally able to piece together enough of what Madeleine said to come up with this:

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MRS. G: "She gives out really good snacks, and she gets me paper for drawing pictures.  I love to draw hearts!"


To top it all off, this is the picture that Madeleine drew to accompany her kind words:

Enjoy your retirement, Mrs. G!  Don't let that black shadow of impending death dampen your retirement-age pleasure!