Of course, during dinner the next day, everyone was eating before I can ask my questions. So I waited for the right moment.
“Can we have dessert now?” one child asked.
And there it was, the moment arrived.
“No,” I said.
“What? Why not?” They asked as if the day before never occurred.
“Why not?” I repeated back. “Because we all have to take turns answering who made you happy and who did you make happy?”
“I’ll go first.” I said with a big smile. “A student today said my help with their test was helpful, and I made some guy happy because I let him turn left at the traffic light.”
My wife went next.
Then my daughter, “Hmmm,” she said as she tapped her index finger against her lips.
Oh no! What in the world will she say or would she say “nothing?”
“I made my class happy.” She said.
What, I thought to myself? I got something other than nothing. Dare I ask a follow up question? Do I quit while I’m ahead?
“How in the world did you make the entire class happy?” I asked.
“I held the door open for them.”
“Oh.” I said.
“Who made you happy today?” I asked.
“Beya.”
“Why?” I asked.
“She said thank you for holding the door open.”
I should have seen that coming!
I looked my son next.
“What?” He said.
“Seriously!” I replied.
“What?” He said louder.
“Who did you make happy today?”
“Ahhh no one”
“Well, who made you happy today?”
“No one.”
Then, without any notice, it just came out of my mouth, “You listen here, you will make someone happy at school tomorrow and try to remember who made you happy!”
I looked at Gabby and smiled. I learned something about her day today.