Kindergarten Confessions

My 14 year old son revealed something startling to me this week.

In Kindergarten, he cheated.

I don't know why he decided now was the time to come clean. His recollection of the events leading up to the crime were fairly detailed and his confession was endearing.

Endearing enough to share here, with all of you.

In order to move forward in the class, 5 things needed to be mastered: Your address, phone number, counting to 20, reciting the alphabet and tying your shoes. These accomplishments were recorded on a page the shape of a house with 5 rooms drawn onto it. When you were successful at demonstrating all 5 of these skills you got to take your house home. He had done the first 4 without any significant effort during the early weeks of school. Still, one skill left his house incomplete; tying his shoes. Summer was approaching and the neighborhood attached to the bulletin board was getting smaller and smaller.

Another boy in his class, Greg, was trying to help by giving him a step by step walk through of the whole process on the "shoe tying board". Unbeknownst to Greg, my son took the board to the teacher and claimed the handiwork as his own.

I'm sorry Mrs. Schneider. I assure you, he is perfectly capable of tying his shoes today and I truly believe that Greg was an innocent bystander.

While honesty and integrity are being taught less and less today I believe my first two children had a sound start with you for a teacher. Even though you didn't catch him, he obviously knew what he did was wrong and felt the need to own up to his criminality. A little slower than I normally insist on, but a confession is a confession, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive him.