Procrastination: 1, Parenting Lesson: 0

Teddy's "wax museum" display went really well today. He wrote up his notes this morning, put on his costume, and decided to try the accent (drawl) that DH coached him on for George W. Bush. DH was drafted to record some of the students on our digital camera, and as soon as I can figure out how, I'll post a link. That might take a while, though.

Anyway, compared to the other children participating, Teddy was loud (takes after his Mom, heh), clear, a little funny, and had a good speech ready. His teacher printed out a facsimile of the Presidential seal, which they taped to a music stand. Teddy made a "Mission Accomplished" sign and hung it behind him.

Given an audience, we should have known that Teddy would shine. And we are really happy for him. Even his principal, who is not his biggest fan (due to Teddy's frequent referrals for shenanigans at the wrong time) commented that his was the best one she'd seen. Teddy's teacher wants to use the video clip of Teddy as an example of "how this project should be done."

So, it is nice to see him do a good job, nice to see him enjoy the attention, and great to see this interesting project come to life in the cafeteria.

But there is a little parenting voice in our heads, that says Teddy has just learned how successful you can be even if you leave things to the last minute. And drop bombshells on your parents over dinner about needing a suit, tie, podium, and speech about the WRONG President George, the night before a project is due.

We did not go through extraordinary lengths to help him--he is a bright child who can absorb information quickly. He was able to get the concept and the speech fast, and the project was under his ideal circumstances. Not shy, our Teddy.

But we do worry about what he just learned from this. Hopefully our irritation and lectures last night had some impact and he will plan better next time. Hope springs eternal...