Max the Minnow

Iain: Refusnik.

Iain never likes to join in. This is the kid who utterly refused to sing or dance at the Holiday Musical Party (or whatever it was called. I was focused on trying to make him do something other than sit on me.). This is the kid who had to be coaxed - all year - to participate in practically anything.

So imagine our shock when he volunteered to help act out Max the Minnow at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Each kid got a stuffed animal like one of the animals in the story. Iain, chosen last, got the smallest fish - Max.

Now, I think what the lady had in mind was that as she read the story the kids would wiggle their fish or something. No. Neither Iain nor any other kid acted the story out at all. They just stood there listening. And Iain seemed kind of confused by the fact that whenever she mentioned Max she'd pat him on the head. You could practically see him thinking, "My name's Iain, Lady."

But so what? He volunteered. He raised his hand and invited her to call on him. And when she did he went right up there, clambered onto the stage, and joined the fun. Learning! Growing! Whee!