ME: I always like our time cuddling and watching movies or whatever, but I also like seeing how much you all do your own things: playing and drawing, being imaginative.
5YO: We like playing. It’s our superpower.
________
The beginning of the school year has already brought with it some interesting stories. Our youngest will say all kinds of things in and about testing situations. We got a really good report on some pre-kindergarten tests, but when we asked her about it, she said, “It was easy. All the answers were ‘d’.” It wasn’t a multiple choice test and certainly she was not asked repeatedly to identify the letter “d.”
Now she’s working with sight words and was asked to spell “the.” Her immediate answer: “F-a-i.”
We’ve learned that her spelling abilities and word recognition increase the closer in proximity she is to a TV or restaurant menu. Her reading skills “failed” her when she was near a fire alarm however at school last year. Not a conversation one wants to have with the principal one works for or the fire department.
After spelling “f-a-i” she gave a short lecture describing what a contortionist does using the word “contortionist” correctly.
We’re working on all this.
I’m partially to blame, I told my mom and teachers that I was color blind. Every time someone showed me a color, I said it was “gray.” I couldn’t write yet, but I also said I knew Japanese. The only thing I can think of is it came from watching Godzilla movies at a very young age, though all I got to see were the ones that were dubbed. They spoke my language, so I must be speaking Japanese. I don’t know. I can’t think of any other connection to Japan in my life at the time.
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ME: How was school?
5YO & 7YO: Good! (They both tell me various stories. I get lots of details about recess and lunch.)
7YO: The 5YO got in trouble today.
ME: She did? What happened?
7YO: She doodooed in the hall.
ME: What?!
5YO: I did not!
7YO: (giggles)
ME: I didn’t really think you did.
(Later before dinner.)
ME: Did you get a call from school today?
WIFE: No. Why?
ME: I’ll tell you later.
________
Evidently a kindergartener decided to test the scissors with his tongue.
5YO: And then the teacher asked, “Did you just cut your tongue with the scissors?” and he said, “Yeth.” And then it bled a little.
7YO: Gross!
5YO: Another boy had a nose bleed.
7YO: That’s disgusting! I hate blood. I wish it wasn’t called “blood.”
5YO: We should call it “blush.” His nose was blushing.
Stephen McClurg 