Never A Dull Moment

When you live with a kindergartener there is really not any day that goes by that you don't have a good laugh. Sometimes those laugh are born out of a need to do something other than cry. Sometimes those laughs are rip roaring belly laughs that make you glad you get to be a first string player in the game of parenting.

In kindergarten you know your letters but you haven't necessarily learned to use them in words. My kindergartener can read a few small words like: me, hit, or to. She has not mastered bigger words such as: Diminutive expressions are often superior.

Occasionally she will look for things to spell. For instance she wanted to write a story about a hyena name Pinduly who is the main character of one of her favorite books. She likes to look at the title words and then copy them in her own journal. The world of words has now been open to her...Although if it doesn't rhyme with 'cat' she usually doesn't have a clue what she is spelling.

So when she came home last week with hurt feelings and a sad look in her eye I wondered what was going on. She told me that she had been in the painting "center" in her class and when the teacher took her art work down she laughed and then she showed it to the teachers assistant and she laughed too. Honestly, I kind of blew it off by changing the subject and , ashamedly, offering her a chocolate chip cookie.

However when she got home she cleaned out her back pack and opened her beautiful piece of art. Austin took one look at it and burst out laughing, which didn't help the situation. I took a gander at the entertaining illustration and began to explain to The Girl what was going on. She then joined her brother on the floor in a round of raucous laughter.

One of the great things about the kindergarten classroom is that it has labels for everything from the pencil holders to, yes, the bathroom where on the door hangs a plaque with bold letters spelling:

T-O-I-L-E-T

Another fit of laughter came this afternoon. The Girl was looking peacefully pensive. I asked her "What are you thinking about?"

To which she honestly replied, "My future husband."

Finally (although not at all the end), last night I had made enchiladas for dinner. The kids aren't always happy about enchiladas but occasionally I choose to make what is pleasing to a grown up palette and the kids have to eat it because they can't cook.

She then looked at her enchiladas and said she didn't really like them. To which a told her that I was sorry but to eat it anyway...

She was quiet for several minutes as she poked at her food with a fork.

Then she burst out with a sentence that I hope I remember if I am ever served a meal I don't particularly like:

"I can't believe baby penguins eat their mother's throw up!"

She then proceeded to eat her enchiladas.

The days may be tiring. They may often be tedious. They are almost always routine.

But they are very rarely dull.