The school started kids at age two, and Athena was enrolled the day after her second birthday. It was a fabulous place — Allie had gone there — and everyone felt good about it.
On her very first day, the teacher corrected her on something.
Athena kicked the teacher in the shins.
Two years old.
So, naturally, this was a problem. Allie and Nancy got the call. Maybe she's not quite ready for our school. There were conversations. There were apologies. Everybody moved on.
It happened to be our day to pick her up. Now, Athena was like Allie — petite for her age. Even at two, she was barely knee-high. Still a little, little thing.
We walked in, and there she was, standing up on the breakfast bench in the kitchen, beaming. We asked her the question every grandparent asks:
"How was school today?"
She drew herself up to her full height — all two-and-a-half feet of it — looked us dead in the eye, and announced:
"I did not kick the teacher."