Growing up, I never really understood what being ‘proud’ meant. Occasionally, I would feel a sense of ‘happiness’ when I had achieved a goal, or sometimes my parents would say they were ‘proud of me’. But I thought that was just another way of saying they were happy with me.
A quick Google search of the word ‘proud’ defines it as “feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one’s own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated”. After witnessing Cara’s first two terms at school, including her final assembly performance and sports day, I now understand and appreciate its meaning.
Father’s Day painting – proud
Cara has never shown signs of being naturally gifted at art. She enjoys painting, colouring in, and anything sticky like glue or stickers. On odd occasions, she would draw a picture that would resemble a Sun and tree. Most of the time though she’s happy doodling and describing what she drew. However, come Father’s Day and she brought home the painting below. Yes, her teachers would have assisted with the general outline, but it’s still good to see her capture my hair, blue shirt that I normally wear for work, and my lost look.
School Assembly Performance – prouder
Throughout the term, we knew Cara and her classmates were rehearsing a performance for the parents. She would come home after school singing songs about aliens. I thought it would be just a couple of standard nursery rhymes. What I didn’t expect was a full-blown 20-minute performance with a story-line, dialogue and a myriad of songs. The term’s theme was space, and the story revolved around two astronauts looking for their friend. Cara was one of three aliens they met along the way. Although Cara only had one line to deliver (“we live on the moon”), she nailed it in her alien voice. She also sang along with all the others during the group songs. It was a proud moment to see her perform with a smile and with such confidence. Looking forward to the next performance!
School Sports Day – proudest
Cara enjoys running around, and although slightly biased, I thought she was relatively quick. Sometimes she would run so quick, her little legs would outrun the rest of her body and she would fall over and cry. So when it came to school sports day, I knew she would enjoy it. My assumption was one or two races, perhaps an egg and spoon. It ended up being 4 races of about 20 metres. One standard, one with dress up, one going through hoops, and one overall final race of champions.
Not sure if all the other kids were still sleepy or Cara was just quick, but she ended up placing 3rd in the first race. Loud cheers from the parents on the sideline. She’s not the tallest in the class, so it was a proud moment watching her show her friends the 3rd place ribbon. It was all downhill after that as she was slightly uncoordinated with the fun runs. For some reason, she was selected to run in the final race of champions, and ended up a respectable 4th. Being a super hot morning (Tips to stay cool), I could not have been more proud of her for giving it her best. It was also a good opportunity to see her interacting with her friends at school.
Reflections of a Proud Dad
I know Cara has learnt and developed a lot since starting school. She has made a brilliant network of friends and I hope it continues after Summer. I don’t recall my parents telling me they’re proud that often, perhaps down to a cultural thing. But when they did, for example, finishing school and getting into my preferred university course, it meant a lot. Remembering those feelings, I will be sure to tell Cara how proud I am of her.
What are you proud of? Feel free to add them in the comments section.
2 thoughts on “Proud Dad Moments”