The Advenchews of Wobin Bwown and Learning Compassion (part 1)
Posted: Tuesday, October 05, 2010
by Robin Brown
This was Robin's first day of First Grade! He was more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, no doubt! He was going to have to face a whole room full of kids who were soon going to know that he couldn't pronounce his "R"s properly because of his speech impediment. This thought kept running in his head night after night two weeks before that fearful and seemingly harrowing day! Robin would awaken each morning in a "cold sweat" even though he had no idea what a "cold sweat" was! He was just all wet, head to toe! He even thought he had "wet" his bed at one point! He soon ruled out that possibility because these "cold sweats" continued to occur every night and wouldn't go away.
The night before that first day at school was much like Christmas morning to Robin. He barely slept at all and was up out of bed and dressed sitting at the breakfast table ready to go to school long before his mother even began preparing breakfast. "You look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning" was his mother's first comment upon seeing Robin. "Are you excited about going to your first day of school?" his mother asked still half asleep. Robin was looking at his Mother with his head slightly tilted to the right as if he was confused by something and not too sure as to what that something was! He didn't hold back his inquisitive nature which was normal when he was around his Mother. "Mom? A bwight-eye and bushy-tail?" "What are those?" His Mom caught herself smiling as she answered, "It's just a saying to describe someone who is happy to see the morning." Robin responded, "I'm weally happy to see the mowning, this mowning!" "Mom, don't foget about taking me to school, this mowning, it's my fuwst day of school! Did you foget?" Robin's Mother was trying to hold back her inner laugh as she answered, "No, I didn't forget. We'll go right after you eat your breakfast." Robin was ready for this as he blared, "I'm not hungwey, Mom! We can go now!" Here it came, "Robin, you must eat your breakfast every morning before going to school!" "Yes, ma'am" was his automatic response. "Can I have Captain Cwunch instead of that slimy oatmeal?" Mom responded, "Robin, you know that dog will not hunt!" Every time Mom talks about that dog that don't hunt well, what she really means is NO! Robin knows that and doesn't even need to ask why a dog they don't even have will not hunt! Clear 'nuff! Robin knew not to touch that one with a "ten-foot pole"! Hands down! Robin knew for some reason that most adults who lived in Texas spoke "Texan" which was a mix between slang and bang, shoot'em up and what? Half the time, Robin would just repeat the words and phrases he heard around him without havin' the "faintest inkling" as to what they meant!
Well, Robin's heart was just about beating out of his shirt as they were now in the car on his way to his first day of school! He even looked down to his heart to check to see if he could personally witness the heart beats he was feeling underneath his shirt! Nope, but he would have "bet the barn" that he could. As Mom stopped the car at the curb of the school playground, Robin was ready to jump out of the car when Mom asked, "Are you going to give me a kiss and a hug before you go off to your first day of school?" Robin looked out at the playground at all the kids playing, turned his head back to his Mom, looked her in the eyes as serious as the day is long and said, "Mom, I don't think now is a good time for stuff like that, come on... look at all those people wight theow!" Mom smiled and said, "Good luck, Robin!" Robin replied with a glowing smile on his face and having no idea what was about to escape his mouth he said, "Mom, today? I'm wao the luck IS!" Little did he know that those words were going to be so true!
Robin ran straight to the monkey bars to get a few swings in before the bell rang for class! He hadn't seen this many kids since Christmas Eve at Target! He was only five years, seven months and three days old and he already felt like he owned THESE monkey bars! Hands down! Out of the blue, the school bell began ringing and everyone began running to their perspective classrooms. Robin knew where to go because the school sent Mom a note telling her what room number he was to report to when that first bell rang. The note even had a map pointing out the room! Wow! "Schools aw pwetty smawt" was all Robin kept saying over and over in his head. He quickly made his way on over to his "Home Room". That's what they called each kid's morning time classroom. Robin entered the classroom and of course, he made his way to the back of the classroom. He wasn't going to sit up front with all the "Brainolios!" He found an empty desk and took his seat. He began to look around the room and especially to the desk right behind him and to his left and right. To his right was an overweight boy and right behind Robin's desk was a boy wearing green framed glasses and to his left was a girl with "cooties". At this age, Robin believed that all girls had "cooties"! The two boys closest to him looked straight at Robin when he was checking them out. Robin felt comfortable with these two guys as he slumped down into his chair and took a deep breath. He finally felt comfort which he hadn't felt in almost two weeks! The teacher entered the room and she looked very kind. Robin always felt like he could read people even when he was floating around in his mother's womb. He later learned in life why he was "breech born" and why he possessed a speech impediment. Robin's Dad was a well-known trouble maker and "heck-raiser" long before he was born. When his father got upset around his mother well, he felt it while in his mother's tummy and when it was time for his life to begin outside the womb, all he could do was change direction and head north to his mother's soothing heart beat. He didn't know he was not supposed to do that, he just did it out of instinct! On that special day, the doctor reached in and grabbed his ankles and pulled him out of the womb, feet first! It was no surprise that he was screaming "bloody murder" on his way out! The doctor didn't even have to spank him when he came out! Once he quieted down, he remained as quiet as a "duck feather dropping to the ground". Fear and staying quiet were now his bedmates. He didn't "peep a peep" until he noticed down the road that he had a sister who could speak for him in his early years! All he had to do was pull on her dress and grunt what he wanted and his sister would understand the grunts and then relay that information over to his mother! System analysis accomplished! That assistance pretty much explained why Robin couldn't pronounce his words properly. He didn't trust his environment enough to practice his language skills. It seemed like if he cried out or attempted to speak out, his father would react with a negative energy. It didn't take a "wocket scientist" to figure that one out! Robin pretty much grunted to his sister to receive what he wanted and needed up until that first day at school but now what?! His sister was not around now! He thought he figured out a simple listening plan until the teacher introduced herself and said that everyone in the class would take turns in standing up to introduce themselves!
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