The Popsicle Saga: Conclusion

Yesterday, on Monday, an email was sent to all the parents at school from the Principal -  the gist of it was that parents should stop bringing Popsicles to the playground after school!

My first thought was "Damn it G!" I was so sure he complained about it. Since I was such an enabler and obviously such a bad influence on Lily! Then I knew within 2.2 seconds of that thought that that was silly because this is the same man who runs around giving out freezies and ice cream when he feels like it. He definitely has double standards, but he wouldn't snitch on a friend!

Well, I did make my way to the Principal's office to apologize.

I felt like I overdid the Popsicles by bringing in 84 of them last Friday. But I wanted to make a point. I wanted to first and foremost empower Lily by making her a giver than a receiver. I also wanted to make sure that no child was left behind. And between Hans and Lily, they covered most every kid on the playground!

There is a great joy in giving. Sure! Life is unfair. But we can be fair. We can teach our children to be fair. We can teach them generosity.

I learnt this from my paternal grandfather. One school year, we ended up with him. My parents were always on a quest for good schools and my dad's job kept us moving from remote places to big cities. Education trumped everything and a decision was made once to have my brother and me go to a school in the city where my grandpa lived. It was awkward for all of us. But we survived. My best memories from that time revolve around the ice cream vendor's visits to my grandpa's home. Although he was our grandpa, he made sure he purchased ice cream for every kid who would show up. He never left a child behind.

My grandpa demonstrated absolute simplicity in his generosity. It was just ice cream, but it made every kid in the neighbourhood a very happy kid.

I hope Hans and Lily felt a joy in giving out the Popsicles. When we can, we must be generous and we must share. Life is not fair, but we sure can be!

It is unfortunate that I can’t reinforce this lesson a couple of more times. Well, at least, I had that one opportunity. Hopefully, it left some impact on the kids' minds.

And yes, I did make my way to the Principal's office and I did apologize. Just because I want to teach the kids an important life lesson does not mean I break the school rules! And even as I plan to not buy any more Popsicles, I silently protest in my safe space here. Why does a school need to run interference in an after school indulgence?!

On that poignant note, I conclude the last instalment in the Popsicle saga.