Kindergarten - In Her Words

A Story By Molly

2010-08-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

This summer Molly has been very creative and has taken up a love for storytelling. This is a snippit of a story she dictated to Grandma Cindy. Frightful...this glimpse into the mind of a six-year-old..

"As I was a baby my parents died when the American’s came. But, someone adopted me when I was just a baby so the whole days went through. Then once I was growing I found a good boyfriend that was just for me and we went for dates every day then we got married when I was 18. And then, my boyfriend said “what is going on, we are married?” I said, “What do you think is going on? We are teenagers that are just 18."

"And once we were about to be 20 we had to do something to find a house because we are getting so old we can’t live with our parents any more we have to find a house. Because if we don’t we will live with our parents forever and ever. Because if we live with our parents we won’t have our own house – we will just die in that house. Mom and dad we need our own house – because we can’t live here we are teenagers and we need to get our own life now. And now, we have our own house and our own life."

"Well we are married, going to school and we need to get our own money back from our mom and dad’s house and we already have our own house and go to school alone every single day even when bully’s come. When bully’s come we tell our teachers. But when we told the teachers the Bully’s told after the teachers. They don’t like being told on and getting in trouble. The teachers even get the bully’s back. The bully’s even killed someone in class."

"While we were married we had two thousand million babies then while we had those kids all of us had to change their diapers when they were a baby. They all had to go to school with us. We had a kindergarten and preschool in our school when they were only one. Lots of them went to preschool and only one went. We had lots of good times jumping up and down on the trampolines when we were together."

"All the babies had little small ones and the grownups had big ones. Theirs weren’t as jumpy and ours were real jumpy. And since ours were so jumpy sometimes we got stuck in a tree. We had to jump out and landed on our faces. And then we jumped back onto our feet and while we did that we had to do a triple flip. We were so talented we had go to the circus and while we were there it was lots of fun because it was so fun to be at the circus we loved to be there because it was so fun we wanted to see our kids do it too. They could never do it because this was our love date. When I met my grandma I was so filled with joy that I just had to leave with my boyfriend that never could leave me. Because we had our dream."

Big City Adventure

2010-06-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today Molly visited a big city for the first time that she can remember and she learned that we certainly weren't in Montana anymore. Since I'm starting at Portland State on Monday we decided to head downtown and check out the campus. Molly and I parked and rode the rail transit system "MAX" into Portland. The ride downtown was uneventful except that Molly was AMAZED you could stand up on these trains and even walk while they were moving. She was not impressed however that I wouldn't let her try out walking while the train was in motion. I know, I am such a kill-joy.

Once downtown, we got off right at the PSU bookstore where we went in and did some shopping. After picking out some new highlighters (for Molly of course) and some PSU souveniers (like pom-poms...again for Molly, I swear) we headed out to find my classroom for Monday. This part became extremely bbooorrriiinnggg for a six-year old. Especially when I stopped to talk to someone in the Education Grad School Department. The eye-rolling was quite excessive along with the sighs.

After finally deciding Molly wasn't the best campus touring companion we headed out to find something to eat. Since we missed the train back north, I decided to hoof it the few blocks to the shopping center instead of waiting 15 minutes for the next train. Molly thought all the statues in downtown were scary and insisted on drinking out of the water fountains on the sidewalks, which I'm sure the health departments would deem "highly suspect". Then she complained that her "ribs and hips" hurt and asked if I'd carry her. Yeah, right.

We did make it to the mall, found the food court, and went up and down the escalators multiple times. I never realized how deprived a little girl from Montana could be since our mall doesn't even have one escalator. This activity proved to be the biggest hit of the whole day. However, our ride home from the city was truly more memorable for me.

On the train back, a man sat across from us that was literally eating a styrofoam cup. He had bits in the corners of his mouth and he was actually chewing and swallowing the thing. The more Molly watched him the closer she got to me until all of her six-year-old self was in my lap. Then, he started talking to himself and saying things like, "Stop talking to me."..."Leave me alone."..."I'm gonna kick your a**." Preceded by joking with his alter ego and then finally I heard him start talking about Molly referring to her as "That little girl." I didn't hear what "they" were discussing but I think it had something to do with the fact that her big brown eyes were staring at him with huge concern. I promptly decided that if he didn't bail at the next stop we would. Luckily, he stood up and departed. Unfortunately, his pants were around his knees and we had a full up-close view of his...underwear (thank God.) Molly informed me later that he was "totally freaky". She was totally correct.

Once arriving back at the car we had another surprise awaiting us. My car was COVERED in white spots. In a crammed parking lot, not one car around us had a speck of white on it. At first I thought I was a training target for a flock of geese, but now I'm not so sure I wasn't a target for a punk with white paint balls or something. I still haven't concluded this investigation. Luckily, the man parked next to me had windex on him and he helped Molly and I clean off all the windows on the van. While visiting I wasn't surprised to find out that this considerate stranger was born and raised in the one and only State of Montana. There is no place like home.

Bad Afternoon

2010-05-24T16:04:00.001-07:00

Molly came home from school today and had a very rough hour. First, there was the "wishbone incident". We had saved a wishbone from the chicken we ate for dinner last night and she was ready for us to make our wishes and let fate decide who would be the lucky one. So, she picked a side and instructed me to grab the opposite one. Does every parent at this point try to determine which side looks weaker? Of course, we both picked wrong and I ended up "winning". I think it was less than a nanosecond before Molly was sobbing. "My wishes NEVER come true! My last wish didn't come true and now this one won't either!" Oh dear. I asked if she wanted to try again with the remaining stub on my big half. I was praying I could make it break her way, but she wanted nothing to do with it.

She stomped off into the kitchen and immediately ran into the living room and slapped CC's hand. CC was then in hysterics. I quickly asked Molly what that was about and she took her sobbing to another level and showed me her brand new book order stuff had been scribbled on in marker. I explained that it was sad, but that CC didn't know it was special to Molly, and that she shouldn't hit her. To my knowledge, I've never slapped Molly's hand...that I can remember...and certainly not without explanation. (Although booger picking and eating may have caused a hand slap before...certainly the thought has crossed my mind.) Anyway, Molly needed a "break" in her room to calm down.

After putting Molly in her room she looked at CC and screamed, "I wish you were never born!" Wow, that starts at six? I had no idea. Trying hard not to laugh, I slinked out of the room. After hearing Molly cry, "Why?, Why?, Why?", I could only wait a little longer for the, "Why, God, Why?!?" That never came, I guess God gets brought into it once she's seven.

I went back in to talk it out and CC followed me in. She tried to repair the damage with hugs and kisses but Molly wasn't impressed. Molly told me CC hurt her feelings and that I should do something about it. What exactly, sell her up the river? I'm sure Molly would've liked that plan. After CC's 50th attempt to win Molly over by repeatedly handing her a baloon, Molly couldn't help but laugh at her. If only it will be that easy in ten years. The only good part of all this was that Eddie was playing downstairs so he had a reprieve from the theatrics.

Talent Show

2010-05-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Last night Molly and I were off to her school's annual talent show. The first show was during school hours, but Molly's class was apparently behaving badly and they were not allowed to watch it. Therefore, Molly came home on a mission to attend the 6:45 show. I'm not sure if the teacher acknowledged that if she didn't take them the entire class would be begging their parents to come back that night. Molly of course held no responsibility for the classes behavior and stated that her and ONE other girl were behaving well...it was everybody else that was acting out. Uh, huh. I'm sure if twenty children were off the wall, you were only an innocent bystander. However, she is afraid of breaking rules, and since I have no letter from her teacher, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Upon arriving at school, we ran into a girl from her class immediately who was being dropped off on the curb. This friend ended up sitting by Molly and I'm pretty sure her parents fed her twelve cups of sugar for dinner. Wow, her stamina and energy were impressive. Luckily, once the show started she was coming down from her high so I didn't have to be that "mean mom". Anyway, Molly insisted on bringing a notebook to the talent show and I had no idea why, but saw no reason to argue. Once we arrived, she handed me the notebook and insisted that I take notes. Of course. How did I not see that coming. I wrote as she dictated and the following are her notes:

6:45 Talent Show
-Lots of People
-Too Many People, I can't hear
-Tons of kids, too many kids
-We are at a talent show in the gym at Hedges School
-Chicken Dance
-That song was nice
-5th graders danced in bathrobes and poodle skirts
-Boy and girl sang from High School Musical
-Girl sang while her Dad played guitar

After leaving the show I asked Molly what act was her favorite...she stated "The Bird Song" (that would be girl singing "Blackbird" while her Dad played Guitar). I then asked if she'd want to be in the talent show. She said she did and she wanted to do a dance routine with the lights out and the glow-in-the-dark jewelry. (There were two acts like this). We had a good time overall and saw some great acts by neighborhood friends, even if the event did seem to go on...and on.

I'm a Six Year Old!

2010-03-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Recently Molly informed us that she wanted the toy baby seat taken off her bike. She said it was TOO boring to have a baby doll riding behind her. That is something a four year old likes and, "Mom, I'm a six year old now!" So, off goes the baby seat and we are learning every day that she truly is getting older.

We are learning there are many things she's decided aren't "appropriate" for six year olds. I say, "Molly, you should brush your teeth before bed." Molly says, "Mom, brushing my teeth is not appropriate for me." You can see how this scheme has become very advantageous for her. She uses the "appropriate" excuse whenever she can. Another favorite thing she says is "what did you say that for?" This has taken the place of "what?"..."what?"..."what?" She used to say that so frequently we wondered if she had a hearing problem...turns out she just had a problem hearing us.

What I'm also learning about six year old girls is that they really can be "boy crazy". It seems insane, but there is a lot of talk in kindergarten about boyfriends already. Molly doesn't have one, that I know of, but she talks about them a lot. She went to a birthday party for one such boy in February and brought him a heart shaped box of chocolates for his present. I asked her if she'd be embarassed by giving such a gift and she insisted she wouldn't be embarassed and that he wouldn't be either. According to his Mom he was just happy to get candy.

Molly also received her first "number" when a boy wrote it down and insisted that her Mom call his Mom and set up a "play date". Molly was VERY excited about that, and being the slacker Mom that I am, I lost the number and never set up the playdate. Luckily she forgot because I am still not quite sure who his parents are or if he is being raised by wolves.

Speaking of wolves, six year olds also require the telling of "the boy who cried wolf". They require it told not just once, but many, many times. After I finally turned into my mother and spouted the tale of the lying shepherd, Molly required it to be retold at least every other day. Sometimes because she just likes the story, other times because she insists that her little sister is about to try a stunt that really gets me moving, like jumping off the top bunk. That of course hasn't happenned, but Molly really likes to tattle, whether or not the tattle is actually justified.

Being that I've also turned into a "slacker blogger" I can't promise regular posts, but I will try. This is just a few accounts to get me back in the mode and hopefully there will be lots of six year old anecdotes to share, even if Grandmas are the only ones reading this!

Baby March

2009-11-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday we had a very odd event take place at school. My one-year-old, CC, become the subject of some serious entertainment. We were about 10 minutes early to school and some of Molly's friends began gathering around our stroller to gaze at CC. Before I knew it there were seven or eight kids surrounding her and she was desperate to get out of the stroller. She didn't mind the gawking, but she wanted to stretch her legs.

So, even though it was freezing outside, and she was only in pj's with a coat (no shoes)...I let her out to wander. I know, I know, I probably lost the respect of all parents that were viewing this spectacle because the poor child had no shoes...only footie pajamas! I did keep her on the pavement and out of the mud and bark.

Anyway, as CC began wandering...children came over to observe and follow her around. Before I knew it, CC was leading a pack of twelve or so kids (and one adult...me). She was marching aimlessly around the backdoors of the school and the kids thought it was hilarious. Molly started chanting "CC's a new kindergartener!" and they all started joining in. This little baby had all these kids laughing hysterically and all she was doing was walking. That's it. She was leading a parade and I realized that Kindergarteners really were "followers" subject to peer pressure from even a baby and her sister.

Drug Free

2009-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

This morning Molly was rummaging in her backback for something she got at school the previous day. She told me it was a "free drug thing". That definitely had my attention. She eventually removed from her bag a red ribbon stating that she was "Drug Free". I asked her if she knew what that ribbon meant. She replied...

"Yes, I know. And you know what else, Mom? Probably, if Michael Jackson had gotten one of these ribbons in Kindergarten, he wouldn't be dead now." After I told her that she definitely understood being "drug free", I told Molly that maybe she was watching too much of the "Today" show with me in the morning because she doesn't forget anything. She then stated, "You want to know something else I know about Michael Jackson?" (Yes, I was afraid of the next sentence.) "One time...his hair caught on fire. THAT probably was not good." Great observation for a six-year-old. That certainly was not good.

Disturbed

2009-10-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had another "boy" moment that I really have to share. I hadn't been talking about these funny stories about boys in front of Molly because I didn't want her to think this "boy" stuff was that big of a deal. Here I thought this blog would be about funny school stories, and now I'm finding that my six-year-old may be thinking about boys a lot more than her "ABC's". The newest event happened while we were walking to my friend, Katie's, yesterday.

We had to pass by her school on our walk and she had me stop on the corner as we approached. I looked at the playground and there were two boys playing on the monkey bars. I looked back down at my daughter and saw that she was...get this...PRIMPING HER HAIR. I asked her what she was doing and she sheepishly said, "nothing, let's go." As we were walking she honestly asked me, "Do I look precious?" Of course, I answered with, "Molly, you are seriously disturbing me." She laughed and on we walked.

After we walked up the block two more boys were spotted on bikes. Molly, again, stopped and this time was fluffing her hair and shaking her head. Again, I asked what she was doing and she followed with, "NOTHING!" I had to inform her again that I really was quite disturbed. Then, she asked if I could see the curl in her hair. Oh dear. Shortly after her school was behind us, Molly stated that she was really enjoying our walk. I asked her to specifically tell me why this walk was so great. She said, "Well, there were boys."

I had to compose myself so I didn't try shaking the very thought of boys from her Kindergarten mind. Instead, I asked, "What was so great about those boys." Molly simply said, "Well, they were crushin'." There it was. That one sentence drew the line between what she learned at home and all the new things she'd learn from all the other kids at school. I looked at her, wondering about this new found slang, and asked, "What exactly is "crushin'". Molly innocently said, "It means they're fallin' in love." Oh. Is that all. Somebody get me a drink.

Field Trip

2009-10-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

The field trip last week was a school bus safety lesson followed by a bus ride to a nearby park. It also happenned to be Molly's birthday, so at the park we had birthday snacks. My friend, who is a bus driver by day and an extremely talented quilter by night, was in charge of the bus safety lesson and transportation, which was kind of fun. He looked a little tired of his lesson because he said this was about the 15th kindergarten class he'd met with. Yikes!

The great thing about kindergarteners is they aren't afraid to answer questions. He'd ask a question to the class and EVERY kid would raise their hand. They'd all expect a turn to answer and they pretty much could say anything. After about five guesses, they just start repeating each other, and this really could go on for hours. Apparently they all want their voice to be heard, even if Susie already said it, and Susie was told it was the wrong answer, and Peter tried the same guess after Susie, and was also told it was incorrect, and Nathan guessed it, too...you see what I mean. Comical, but mentally wearing for a person like me with very little patience.

After the lesson we were loaded onto the bus for a "fun" ride around town. Another thing I learned that day was that anyone who has graduated from high school should be offered Dramamine immediately upon entering the bus. Molly wanted me to sit with her...in the very back seat. I had to keep my eyes constantly forward to avoid looking for a paper sack. Some chaperone I was. Who cared if the girls in front of us were peering through the seat cracks and not facing forward? Or that the boys next to us were playing rock, paper, scissors, and then violently taking the results out on each other? I certainly could not care, or I would have been initiating an emergency evacuation due to illness.

Luckily, we did make it to the park without Molly getting embarassed. The kids managed to practice evacuating without injuring themselves. We also managed to pass out snacks without incident...even though every other kid asked for two, and I had to make sure one little girl didn't touch the cookies due to a wheat allergy. We did bring her an alternate snack, but I'm not sure what a cocoa bar tastes like without gluten, dairy, shellfish, etc. After snack, it was off to the playground to let their inner "wild thing" run free. Kids were everywhere! Molly's teacher and I worked on our zone defense to keep everyone at the playground and to run down small children who chased after the wild geese. Luckily, we all made it back to the bus safely with all children accounted for...even Molly...hand-in-hand with her friend, "Guy".

Sick...Or Not Sick

2009-09-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

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?!?

2009-09-09T08:38:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

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!