3 Juvenile Observations from Kindergarten

We are new to this whole "big school" thing, and a couple things have happened this week that have struck me as funny. This will be a short post tonight, as I gots stuff I gots to do. Oh bloggy friends, I can't quit you! Tell me if you've noticed any of these things where you are.

1. Outside Ava's classroom, I am merely one of many moms that arrive to drop off my daughter and pick her up again in the afternoon. However, as I've discovered when I go in to do Reading Groups with the class, once a mother enters the classroom, she instantly becomes an Object of Fascination and Mystery. Ava blows me kisses from her seat. Whispers break out across the room. I feel like I just won some kind of Mom Pageant. Are moms allowed in here? What is she doing here? Whose mom is that? "Are you Ava's mummy?", little Angelina whispers as I lower myself and my burgeoning belly onto one of those tiny chairs.(Lord, this is a sight in itself.) Yes, I tell her. "WHY are you here?", she asks, mystified. Step back out of the door, and the spell is instantly broken.

2. Yesterday, as we walked to the car after school, Ava pointed out another little kindergarten girl. "See that girl? She said she doesn't like my accent." "Hmmm," I say, trying to gauge if this bothers her or not. "That's a silly thing to say." "No, Mom," Ava replies matter-of-factly, "That's a mean thing to say." Yeah, I guess it is. My girl sees things in black and white!

So I get all catty, and tell Ava that I happen to know that the other little girl in question is ALSO from another country, so her accent is different from the others, too! Plus, I say, I have it on good authority that lots of people think her American accent is cute. This made her feel better. I have so far been successful in not egging Little Mean Girl's house. Will keep you posted.

3. A couple weeks ago, Jason asked me what we, the parents are supposed to call Ava's teacher. "Miss _____________," I tell him. "Yeah, but isn't that what the kids call her?" "Of course," I say, "and that's what we call her too. She's a professional. I introduced myself to her and she introduced herself as Miss Blank." This is standard procedure for your kid's teacher, is it not?

Well, the next day he goes to pick Ava up and comes home with a smug gleam in his eye. "I went up to Miss Blank and said,'Hi, I'm Jason.' And she said, 'Hi, I'm Mary.' So there!" Like he'd won some argument or something. But really, imagine you're a young teacher and a devastatingly handsome guy comes up, smiles at you and introduces himself, I mean, what would you do? Look at him, for goodness' sake.

She told him her first name and she probably woulda given him her lunch money, too, if he'd asked for it. She'd friend him on Facebook if she could! I cry foul! And I still call her Miss Blank. Apparently, we aren't on first name terms yet.