Chi won the Spelling Bee!

October 26 is a new holiday in our house. It is a day celebrating Chi’s win of his first Spelling Bee. He answered words from a list of 50 and 10 more “mystery” words. He competed with children ages 9-12. And at 4th grade and only 6 years old, Chi was the youngest amongst them. Every parent’s joy is when their children succeed after working hard at something. I was very happy that he won, but my joy is deeper than that he spelt words correctly. My joy is that Chi, at 6 years old, competed with children older, bigger and assumingly wiser, but was not the least bit intimidated. He did not have any notions of fear or self esteem issues that can arise in such situations. He was poised, calm and enjoyed himself. The moderator tried to throw him off a few times. She mentioned his age (amazed at his abilities), his size and nicknamed him “Mr. Chi.” All of this extra attention could have thrown off any individual trying to compete and not be distracted by extra activities. And yet, Chi took it all in stride. As parents, I think our greatest achievement is raising stable, happy and emotionally intelligent children. Having children who can be productive members of society and not be a strain; physically and spiritually on the globe. My greatest achievement is having children who can contribute to the peace of the world; by first being at peace with themselves. Chi’s joy was not in having won the competition. He wanted to showcase his talent in spelling. His joy was that he spelled words correctly. And my joy was that he did it with the same ease and comfort that he does spelling at home. Each child was given a sticker for participating. Chi’s greatest delight was receiving his own, like everyone else.