Sick...Or Not Sick

I received the call today from the secretary at Molly's school notifying me that she was in the office due to illness. I had only left her in perfect health thirty minutes before. The secretary informed me that Molly thought she was going to throw up but she didn't have a fever. So, I grabbed the baby and off we went. I found Molly in the office looking a little nervous but not too ill. Immediately I wondered if something else was going on.

So, I gathered the girl up and home we went. My first clue that something was amiss was when I told her she needed to lay down as soon as we got home and she wanted to know "why?" I explained that when you stay home from school because you are sick you must spend all day laying down so you can recover quickly. She asked if maybe she could just play a little if she was feeling better and I knew something was definitely up.

I spent all day asking if she was OK or if maybe something else happened that made her want to come home from school and she kept assuring me that she just felt like she was going to throw up. After six hours of lying down and asking when she could get up and play, she finally admitted that maybe she wasn't sick after all. Apparently, she just wanted to come home because she missed me. How do you punish a five year old for such an admission? It is nearly impossible. All I could do was explain the importance of school and secretly hope she isn't manipulating me just yet.

Sick at School

Today Molly awoke with a bit of a runny nose and a "hacking" cough. Unsure whether or not I should keep her home, she informed me that she only stays home when she has a fever. Fortunately for her, she currently is without a fever, so off to school she went. I am aware that the main reason Molly didn't want to miss school today is that she is in love. That's right; my worries about boys in a previous blog have been confirmed. Due to embarrassment on her part if I were to reveal this boys name, I will simply call him "Guy" for the purpose of storytelling.

On the way home from school on Friday, Molly turned to her Dad and I and stated, "I really do love Guy you know." After glancing at the "Really?" look on her Dad's face and the quick to follow eye-rolling, I asked if Guy knew that she loved him. Well, apparently, she whispered this to Guy while they were standing in line. I asked why she didn't tell him at recess, and she replied that she didn't want hundreds of kids to hear her. Naturally, this information must be kept secret. When I asked what Guy's response was she said he didn't say anything. In Kindergarten, this must be a good sign since he didn't scream, "ewww, gross!" or anything similar to that common boy response. Personally, I thought "ewww, gross!" would've been a great response and she may have been deterred. Then again, it might have made loving Guy more of a challenge, which she certainly wouldn't shy away from.

As we walked to school today I asked her to please not focus so much on being in love with Guy because she is only five and maybe she was too young to be in love. She promised she wouldn't tell him again, but her friends do follow her around chanting, "Molly's in love" and "Molly has a boyfriend". This kind of attention is hard to pass up, so I doubt her new found love will fizzle too quickly.

Upon arriving at school, I didn't see Guy anywhere and I began to wonder if maybe Guy stayed home today with a bit of a runny nose and a "hacking" cough. Wouldn't that be interesting? I'll be sure to keep my eye on them over the next few days to check for similar cold symptoms. And if either of them ends up with Mono this year, Molly will be quickly signed up at the local Catholic school.

Boys, Already?!?

Yesterday, I loaded up the two younger kids and headed off yet again to pick Molly up from school. We live three blocks from the school, so we are able to walk back and forth. After gathering up Molly, we were headed home when out of nowhere I hear, "Molly...Molly, Molly, Molly!!!" In a vehicle, driving by us down our street, there was a little boy leaning out the front window continuing to shout, "Hi, Molly...Hi, Hi Molly!!!" I turned to Molly and asked, "What was that all about?" She got this shy (might I say, flirtatious) grin and said, "Oh, he's just a boy in my class." Even though she looked a little suspicious, I really thought nothing of this comment. That was until later in the evening, when she stated that she likes to blow kisses at a boy during recess. Naturally, I asked her if it was the same boy from the street, and she said, "No, it was a different one." Now I'm a little concerned with two boy incidents in the same day. These events also had me reflecting on my Kindergarten year, when I ashamedly would cover boys with kisses if they tried to sit in the garbage can to squish down the trash. I suppose I figured they were trapped and couldn't run off...which seems very strategic. Could it be possible that Molly might attempt this same ambush tactic? I'm thinking after yesterday, it could be very possible. I'm also thinking that it's good she's in school now so she can't watch "Days of Our Lives" with her Mom anymore.

Cooking Dinner

So today there wasn't anything really exciting that happenned at school because she wasn't too chatty on the way home. Although, when I dropped her off at school, she managed to keep half the Kindergarten line-up waiting on the playground because she wasn't paying attention. She turned her back to tell the girl behind her some elaborate story that involved great hand gestures and half the class walked in the building. Nobody spoke up so she continued on for over a minute before she realized she was holding everybody up. So, with a startled look, she literally ran forward into her third day of school.

Apart from school, this evening she insisted on making us pancakes. So, she mixed the batter adding vanilla (per Dad's suggestion) and lemon flavor. Then she poured them in the pan and flipped them herself, and she actually did end up making dinner. Sadly, the lemon flavor was used excessively because she likes to drink it directly out of the fake lemon and thought it would surely be good in pancakes. I thought they were still edible, but I didn't exactly reference them the same way Molly did stating, "Mom, these are SUPER delicious!" I see no reason why a 5 year old that cooks pancakes can't do the dishes, but apparently that chore is just too hard for a kindergartener.

School Drawing

The first drawing Molly brought home from school for me was very interesting indeed. It was a picture of a cemetary with ghosts flying out of the tombstones. You did read that correctly...cemetary. I asked if her teacher was already having them draw pictures about Halloween and she stated that she was actually instructed to draw a picture of a person. So, she decided to draw a picture of where dead people are instead. Of course! What a logical choice! Now I'm wondering how long until I get the infamous principal call because my child is disturbed. Looks like I'll have to start promoting rainbows, flowers, and all things cutsy and UN-controversial.

On a side note, Molly also was asked by me who she played with at recess. She stated, "The usual." Mind you, it is only the second day of school, so I'm not exactly sure who "the usual" are but we will see if that crowd changes.

Good Things About Kindergarten

Molly has finally followed the path of many other five year olds around the United States. She has entered Kindergarten. During her first few days of school she has learned many good things about school. First, coloring is an important skill for a 5 year old. Second, hot lunch really can be better than what Mom can pack...even if cold lunch comes in a Barbie lunch box. Third, due to school budget crunching every student isn't gauranteed their own desk...some of them are "connected" or to interpret, a shared table. Fourth, teachers are nice and very organized; Molly especially likes all of her stuff put nicely in a bin. Fifth, it's nice to have new friends and also one that she recognizes from pre-school, a young man that she never plays with because he is...A BOY!!! Sixth, she can play with other kids, not just the first friend she made. AND, she can play with boys, too, but only a little bit. Seventh, she already states that she'll like first grade next year. Eighth, kindergarten rooms are great because they have lots of toys and "rest time" or again to interpret...nap time...even though it isn't called that any more because all day Kindergarten is much more academic...or so they say. Ninth, you get to play with toys in Kindergarten. Tenth, she likes the gym...gets to play outside...and this really could go on forever because she is still rambling on. So, apparently for all of us over the age of 6, we are SERIOUSLY missing out!