School

This fall, I am back in the workforce for the first time since Penguin Girl was born.  It's a part-time gig teaching one section of legal writing at the local law school.  It pays peanuts.  I suspect I'd be doing better if I worked at Starbucks since I hear they offer benefits to some employees who work less than full-time.  On the days I teach, Car Guy is with Mr. Destructo and those are his school days.  His school is just down the road at the nearby church.  Last week he went for the first easing in day, only 2.5 hours, and the teacher said he did great.  Whew!  Car Guy picked him up from school and took him to Cookout for lunch as a treat and he got to have a big strawberry shake.  Yesterday was a slightly longer day that included having lunch at school.  When Mr. Destructo woke up from his nap, I asked him about school.

Me:  What did you do at school today?

N:  Paper and glue!

Me:  Can you show me?

N:  (he makes his typical gasping-in-surprise noise as if he is seeing something that just takes his breath away)  Ta-da!

Me:  Wow!  That's so pretty!  (It's a paper mailbox on which he applied a lot of glue and colored tissue paper.  Way more paper than I would think he'd have the patience to stick on there.)  What did you have for lunch?

N:  'Nana, cereal, and worm!  (I did give him a banana and cheerios but I did not give him a worm!  The worm is a reference to the little worm character that is on the milk boxes I get, which he did have.)

Me:  Cool!  What did you play with?

N:  Trucks!  

Me:  What else?

N:  Take turns riding bike.  Take turns riding car.  (He says this with sort of a subdued voice with his head hanging a little, as if repeating something he's been told.  Which I'm sure he was.  More than once.)

Me:  Hey, what's that on your shirt?

N:  Sticker!

Me:  Who gave you the sticker?

N:  Katie!  (He said this very clearly and emphatically but there is no Katie at school.  Still, he picked up a name, which is unusual for him.  Most names he refuses to use.  Don't ask me why.  He only uses names for people who are really fun, like for a select few of his cousins but not any of his aunts or uncles for instance.  He must really like the teacher!)

Me:  (puzzled)  Do you mean Miss D?

N:  (laughs)  Yeah!

Car Guy told me that as soon as he picked up Mr. Destructo, he asked for a chocolate shake.   Which Car Guy took him to get.  So now Mr. Destructo's got the idea that he gets a shake at the end of every school day.  That's not going to be a problem.