Kid Speak

Slice of Life - Day 22 - Hosted by Ruth and Stacey at their Two Writing Teachers blog.

"We broke up today, Mom.  I just can't have a boyfriend who always wants to fool around!"

[Mom demonstrates the ultimate control here...so many different ways she could react - hysterical laughter, cringing, sarcasm, the list is endless.  But instead...]

"Well Honey, you are only seven.  Since you aren't old enough to have a boyfriend yet, I think that is best."

[What she said under her breath to her husband: "I hope she still feels that way in high school! I have a feeling she will feel differently about 'fooling around' then.  Of course, that isn't the fooling around she meant, but if she only knew what she just said!"]

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"Mom, guess what?  It was hot at school!  Even my armpits got sweaty today!  You know how I know?  Cuz my shirt was wet!"

Mom: fits of laughter!  [C'mon, who wouldn't have laughed?  The girl is six!]

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"You know what B did AGAIN today?  He ran out of the classroom.  He always does that.  I had to go get Mr. P for the teacher again.  B knows he isn't supposed to do that.  How come he keeps running out?  Why is he always getting into trouble?"

[Hmmm...how do you explain to a nine-year-old that not all kids have the kind of home life they have.  Not all kids get to grow up feeling loved.  Not all kids have limits and boundaries because their parents don't know how/don't care/don't understand how they are impacting their children.  Some kids carry more baggage with them everyday than adults I know.  Yes, how should I explain this to a nine year old?]

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"B, there are bugs over there!"  She points to the floor under the window in the garage.
"I know M, but they are dead."
"B, kill them!"
"M, they are already dead. They won't hurt you."
"B! KILL THEM!"
[enter A, the 6th grader] "She killed them M."
"Move the bugs, B. I don't like them!"
[sigh]

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Ah...it's amazing what kids say.  The good, the bad, the funny...you just never know.  I think that is one of the things I enjoy most about teaching and being a mom.  It's different every day, every minute.  There are fun times with laughter to share, hard times when I just can't find the words, and easy times when things just seem to flow.  So refreshing, so meaningful, so fulfilling.