Impressions

I have learned today that one never really knows what kind of an impression you will make on someone. A few weeks ago I took an Eastern Box Turtle that was rescued off of 840 to Charlotte Elemtrary school. I visited 3 classes with London the turtle. London was active and not shy and all the kids loved her. I talked about what kind of Habit and food she liked and how they lay their eggs and other facts. I had a good time and it was a bit sad for us all because once the day was over we knew we had to release her.

I felt that it was wrong to keep her from meeting her dream male turtle in the wild and living out the rest of her days in lovely wood. So we let her go on her way and we cried. My oldest son had grown very attached to her and it was most difficult for him. In my mind I could see having a pet turtle and we would all be a happy family, but in reality I knew that we just did not have the resources to keep her. Turtles require lots of stuff that we couldn't provide. London all left her mark on us.

Now we have a Hamster named Biscuit (from a local pet store) and a Guinea pig named Willie that we adopted from Petco. London is not in our every thought now that we have two new furry friends that my boys adore. And this morning a little girl and her mom brought a hatchling snapping turtle to class. A tiny baby turtle a bit bigger than a quarter.

The mom said that her daughter wanted to show the class the turtle like I did London. The mom said she was all set to let her little girl take it to class by herself and she protested. The little girl said that her mom had to show it to the class like I did. The mother said that I had raised the bar for parental involvement in the class. (I try to be a helper whenever I can at school)

That made me pause. I try my best to be a good mother and help out at school whenever I can. I know that the teachers can't do everything on their own. I don't mind being asked to make cookies or be an extra set of eyes on a field trip. Somehow in my striding to be a good parent I had made an impression upon another parent I had never met before. That is amazing. It shows that sometimes going that extra bit pays off more than you know.

That's my story. Do you have one where you influenced someone without meaning to? I would love to hear about it.