Why potS?

Dear Reader;

I am still thinking about all the print that surrounds us in our environment. It reminds me of a moment in time a year and a half ago when we were traveling to Lousiana. Of course the whole family was in the car, and they were beginning to wake up because we had just exited the freeway. It was Thanksgiving and their stomachs were rumbling in anticipation of the juicy turkey that was awaiting them at Mimi's house. Driving slowing through the winding rode, my youngest asked the oddest question. "Mommy, why would they write Pots on all those red signs? That just does not make sense. Aren't we suppose to stop?"

I was very confused because I just did not know what he was talking about. Yes, I saw the red sign, but I did not read pots. I was dumbfounded. Again, he was frustrated with me, and asked me again, "Look Mommy, don't you see P, T, O, S?"

Yes, I did and then I realized that he was reading them the other way. Now, I have never noticed that before. For awhile, I began reading those signs as pots, just thinking about the humor in it. Denial is a wonderful thing, but sometimes these small incidences, wake us up from our slumber. This "pots" sign provided more evidence that supported the teacher's suspension that something was going on. He was having problems in reading, such a small moment in time, but a moment I will never forget. I felt that awful pit in my stomach. Of course, as a family we all joked about it, and looked for words that could be spelled backwards in our return trip home.

-Maria Creighton