Black & White Wednesday: BEEtween Father & Son

 At the beginning of mySamuelson's school year, all the parents were asked to fill out a general interest form if they planned on volunteering in the classroom.
Pre-children I was a teacher.
Am currently a SAHM.
Second only to Sugar, my kids are my life.
Would I be volunteering?
DUH! 

The very last question on that form was, "Are there any hobbies or special interests you or your spouse would like to share with your child's class?"

Hands down I'm thinking a woman put this form together!

I was actually being asked to speak for Sugar! 

Red light, yellow light, GREEN LIGHT!!!!!

I could feel the pulse pick up a bit.

Never occurred to me to panic, knowing he was filling out an identical form.

What for???

He knows how well I can express myself.

Cross his mind to speak on my behalf?

Ha!

Highly Unlikely.

HOWEVER...
as the dutiful wife,
and knowing my self-created wifely responsibilities like the back of my hand,

I included some of his hobbies alongside mine.
 A job well done, I thought.
That was until I approached him a few weeks ago sharing, quite excitedly, that I had arranged for him to
give all of the Kindergarten classes at mySamuelson's school an Apiary (Bee) presentation/exhibit.
"Of course I took the initiative and contacted the teacher", I happily answered him.
The "thoughts" he then began to entertain on my behalf became just downright unkind!

(Humph!)
No, he didn't verbally (keyword here) share those thoughts.
But he wasn't wearing no poker face, either!

I didn't even get any love for leaving out his retired interests.
And trust me, there are a striiiiiiiiing of them!
Much to my consternation.
Jack-of-all-trades he surely is!
In my opinion, he's stuck with beekeeping this long (3 years) because of the large amount of money he's sunk into it (the extractor alone was $1,000+)!
That and he's an entrepreneur at heart!

Needless to say, when we told mySamuelson, he characteristically broke out into antics that would have put even the Taz to shame!

Last Spring, he was finally big enough to fit in the smallest bee suit manufactured and has since been working alongside "Dad" learning the ropes. (see picture in my header)
     
He did have his enthusiasm checked at the door one afternoon late last summer when a bee got in his suit and stung him.
My poor baby. :( 
Am ever so thankful though it wasn't a sting to the head similar to Sugar's almost 2 years ago.

Our blood lies so close to the surface of our skin on parts of our body like our heads, trauma to those areas tend to bleed more, swell more, etc.

This pic was taken three days after the sting when he was on the upswing.

That first day was Rated R.

(Had to keep this pic in color to preserve the full effect.)

Though still interested in beekeeping, mySamuelson now approaches the entire hobby with a respectful caution.
Which is as it should be considering the inherit risks involved in such a pursuit. 

Not surprisingly, given the procrastinator in Sugar that refuses to lie dormant (even at my firm insistence!), he waited until the last minute....the NIGHT BEFORE to put a rough outline together.
One guess who took those bull's horns...
...11:30 p.m. brainstorming together (both of us).
...12:30 a.m. typing outline (me).
12:45 editing (me).
1:00 a.m. proofreading (me; Sugar had fallen asleep at this point).
1:15 a.m. emailing outline to Principals and teachers (me again).

Suiting up

mySamuelson's grand entrance from the school flower garden.

Somehow he managed to time that entrance with the arrival of his fellow classmates (on the right). ;)

Educating on everything from bee safety to the different types of bees and their roles.

In the pic below is "yours truly" leading the students and teachers in the two different bee dances: mySamuelson got cold feet the last minute!  And "yes", bees really do dance.  Move over Timberlake & Travolta!
 "Dancing" is their primary means in communicating the location of food with one abother.  If the food source is far from the hive, the worker bees do what's called a "Waggle Dance" when they return from scouting.  A movement involving flapping their wings and shaking their bodies.  If it's close, they do what's called a "Round Dance".  This "dance" isn't quite as involved: the bees simply walk a straight line, make a tight u-turn, and walk a straight line back.  Needless to say, these were quite popular with the children!  Especially the "Waggle"!

mySamuelson "manning" the bee equipment.

 

"Equipment" he was able to demonstrate for his fellow students.

 Am not one to hold back in giving credit where it's due.  And it's most definitely due my Sugar this go-round.

One of Webster's definitions for "Fathering" is, "1 b: to be the founder, producer, or author of".

Along with the child Christ blesses us with comes their blank slate, as well as HIS trust that we will take that slate and train that child up in the way he/she should go. (Proverbs 22:6)
Quintessentially, we've been given license to "author" that child's life.
For a little while, that is.
A "little while" that has the wings of an eagle.
And when they have passed through their childhood, they take up "authorship" of their own lives.
But alas!
We are not left empty-handed!
We have so many treasures stored up...
memories...
relics...
badges of honor (i.e. stretch marks! LOL!)...
...more importantly, we have Christ's promise in the remainder of that verse above (Proverbs 22:6), "...and when he is old he shall not depart from it."

Sugar, across these pages of our son's life, you've left your matchless, beautiful signature.  A "signature" in a permanent ink that will help shape him into that disciple of Christ we so fervently pray he becomes.

*For more "Black & White Wednesday" fun, link up at Lisa's The Long Road to China.