I always take Sophie on our end of the year field trip to the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. It's about a 2 hour drive over the mountain, and that girl LOVES the school bus. The resort itself is kind of strange. Think of that place on Dirty Dancing, subtract the dancing, and add a zip line, mini petting zoo, and mountain bike trails and you're kind of getting there.
Anyway, it has a killer pool, which is where we spend most of our time.
While swimming, Soph overheard some teachers discussing the very thick, very sad scars on the upper arms of one of my girl students. Mrs. X mentioned to Mrs. Y that the student used to be a cutter. I heard the conversation as well, but assumed Soph wasn't listening, or that it had gone way over her head.
Now I have to back track. Soph's end of the year pet peeve at school was kids cutting (read with an incredulous Sophie voice) in LINE. The injustice of said activity was almost too much for her to take. How DARE someone try to insert him/herself in a line and not go to the end. She was particularly upset that the cutting went unpunished by teachers and even worse, that SHE got in trouble for tattling about the cutting.
So, in my motherly wisdom, I taught her the scathing verbal daggers which we at Mississippi Elementary school would use to call out and shame those who dared cut in line. Ahem. "Cutter cutter peanut butter!" and "No cuts no butts no coconuts!" I explained that when someone dared cut, we would simply say one of these seemingly magical rhymes, and they would then procede, post haste, to the end of the line.
Back to the ranch. I'm sure you know where this is going.
The story ends with Sophie chanting "Cutter cutter peanut butter" at my student as she walked down the bus aisle and me not knowing whether to shit or go blind.
Yet another facet of the world that I am unwilling/unable to explain to my 5 year old. Yet another fucked up thing to add to the list of fears to postpone until my daughter is an adolescent. Yet another occasion where Soph's sharp ears and my half-assed parenting got us both in trouble.
Comment whore wants to know:
When was the last time you were on a school bus?
4 comments:
Don't sweat it. Chances are the student did not put two and two together. Hope your summer is going great. Bag your "to do" list and enjoy.
Classic.
The world certain has it's share of wierdness and horrors. Stuff I don't want to explain to my children and fear them ever having to experience firsthand. But it's got alot of kickass stuff too. Sometimes it's just harder to come up with that stuff - maybe because we take it for granted.
School bus? The year I taught first grade we took a field trip to a local apple orchard.
dude, I know it's not really that funny, but THAT IS FUNNY. and horrible. but FUNNY. and horrible. now I feel bad.
the last time I was on a school bus was when I accidentally offered to chaperone one of thrent's field trips. I signed on the volunteer line instead of the permission line and then got a call the day before the trip - "we just wanted to let you know that the bus for the trip leaves at 8:45" and me: "uh....yes...I, uh, see..." and realizing my mistake.
also: so a bus filled with children of all sizes. and no seat belts? they just go rolling around in there. meanwhile we have seatbelt laws for cars, vans, trucks...and carseat laws too. wtf?
today
Kindergarten field trip
I'm not sure I'll recover
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