Lion's Club Essay Contest

Carter came home one day from school with a paper in his hand.  It took me a minute to see what the heck it was because he was swinging it around all excitingly.  It was a flyer for the Lion's Club Patriotic Essay Contest.  Carter had been waiting his whole life to get one of these, basically because his mom is awesome and won the contest when she was in 4th grade.  The essay wasn't due for a couple of weeks, so I put it my little basket full of things I keep from school and never gave it a second thought.  UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE IT WAS DUE AND CARTER RUSHES IN FROM SCHOOL, PANICKED THAT HE HADN'T WRITTEN IT YET!  As tempted as I was to run down and grab volume five of my scrapbook, pull out my prize winning essay and stick a copy in his backpack, I restrained myself and told Carter we would sit down to think together.  After screaming at using a soft, calm voice any mother would be jealous of, I sent the 3 younger ones downstairs to play and sat down with my oldest to think.  And think.  And think.

The topic for this years essay was "What is Right with America?"  I had Carter make a list of everything he thought that was right in America (which was down right amazing coming from an almost nine year old and I am kicking myself for not keeping it and scanning it in) and then showed him how to format those thoughts into an essay.  I made him write a rough draft, then I helped him use correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.  He then took about two hours typing the essay (hasn't quite mastered the keyboard yet, but then again, neither has his Dad and he almost has a Master's Degree!) and even though I am a tiny bit bias, I thought he did an excellent job!  Here's a look at the final essay:

He turned it in the next day (and came home telling me the deadline was extended another three days because everyone had forgotten to hand one in! what?!?!) and we didn't really give it much thought after that.  About two weeks later, he came home s.u.p.e.r. stoked and explained that his essay was one of the top 3 in his school.  He wasn't sure if he was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place yet, but they would meet with the principal that Friday to find out.  Friday rolled around and I was anxiously awaiting his return from school to hear how it had gone.  Well, this was in his backpack....

And this was in his pocket, burning a hole where it sat...

He actually has not spent his money yet.  He can't decide what he wants to buy!

Good job Carts!  Your essay-writing mama and pointer-finger-typing papa are proud!