[WARNING: Shameless bragging on my sweet kids about to ensue; hmph, as if that doesn’t happen in every post!]
The other day I had to take a check to Wonder Boy’s new “preschool” to reserve his spot. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, I announced to the car (i.e., for The Girl & Boy Genius’ sake) that Wonder Boy was going to start school on Friday. [Tangent: today was his first day and he did so well … my baby boy!!] Though Boy Genius simply screamed “NOOOOO” (reminiscent of young Skywalker’s response to Darth Vader’s “Luke, I am your father,” or at least of Buzz Lightyear’s impression in Toy Story 2), The Girl was perplexed. “Why does he need to go to school,” she asked, “what will you be doing?” I explained that I would be teaching a class or two at UALR and needed Wonder Boy to go to school while I was teaching. Boy Genius’ shocked “You’re a teacher!” was again overshadowed by The Girl’s inquisition (notice the difference in how their synapses fire?). She asked, “What are you going to teach, like history or a normal class?” Resolving that I couldn’t possibly wrap my head around why “history” and “normal” classes are exclusive of one another, I answered, “I’m going to teach about writing at work.” Then, there was silence. Now, please understand, this is a precious commodity in the car; that is, silence is rare when The Girl’s awake. She’s a talker, just like her mom, and she’s constantly asking questions, about pretty much anything and everything! Hmmm, I thought, either they are contemplating what I’ve said or have been sidetracked by whatever is in the DVD player (psh, no-brainer, right?). So I turned the volume up on the radio, assuming the conversation was indeed over. Then I heard The Girl and Boy Genius talking, apparently to each other, and I adjusted the radio just enough so that I could hear what they were saying. I’m guessing that maybe he asked her something about my teaching, because I heard:
The Girl: “Well, she’s really good at writing and … fixing problems and … being a mommy and … answering questions …”
Boy Genius: “Yeah, she could teach a ‘how to be a good mommy’ class!”
Awwhh, shucks, where’s a recorder when you need one! I’m still not sure they knew I was listening or that they’d ever admit to it the next time I’m fussing at them for not cleaning up after themselves or using good manners, but I can guarantee that I’ll never forget it and, in all honesty, will probably use it as leverage at some point in their lives. I mean, c’mon, isn’t that what being a good mom’s all about? 😉
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