Overheard at Work, vol. CV

Well, that was a doozy of a week back from vacation!

Tuesday, I caught up on emails, helped at the front desk, ran my club, and felt relatively back in the swing of things.

Wednesday, I had a meeting about hiring a work-study in our film program, led a field trip of forty kids under 10 to a rollerskating rink and took five teens to see Finding Neverland, the new musical at A.R.T.

Thursday, I covered the morning teen program, ran two clubs, and prepped for today.

Today, I helped run a trivia rotation during our End of Summer Extravaganza, covered the front desk, helped film the Music Showcase, and prepped our Awards Ceremony for the end of the day. I sat down for maybe 30 minutes all day.

Now, of course, I have a little cold and I'm going to bed early.

But Summer 2014 is over.

7-year-old boy, sobbing about not being able to buy a drink at the rollerskating rink: There's no hope for me!

Same boy, whining because he was bored: I'm not having any fun!
Me: Well, you should have brought money to play the arcade games.
Boy: I'm poor!

10-year-old boy, on the bus from the rollerskating field trip: He's bothering me! He said I need to get butt surgery!

Me, to a 14-year-old boy, whose nicknamed Junito: What's Junito mean?
Boy: I don't know!
Teen girl, after I looked it up, laughing: It means "a very short man with a very large penis!"
Boy: ...I'm short.

Overheard on Vacation

Well, that week sure went quickly! Back to the grind tomorrow, but memories of naps with the 3-year-old, battles of wits with the 8-year-old, and nights of wine and games linger as I heat up soup and look forward to showering and going to sleep in my own bed.

8-year-old, tattling on 3-year-old, who had grabbed my copy of Game of Thrones: He's trying to read George Martin!!

3YO: Knock knock!
Me: Who's there?
3YO: Penis butthole.
Me: Penis butthole who?
3YO: Penis butthole.

3YO: I am going to eat YOU for dinner!
Me: What will I taste like?
3YO: Watermelon.
Me: What will YOU taste like?
3YO: Applesauce.

3YO, entering the bathroom, as I finished: Can I see your pee?

3YO: Do you like beer?
Me: Sure!
3YO: No, you don't because there's spiders in it and spiders are yucky to eat.

Me, reading a timeline 8YO made about him and his brother: He just came out of his mommy's tummy.
8YO: I didn't want to say asshole.
Me: Babies don't come out of their mommies' assholes!
8YO: Yes, they do!

Me, to 3YO: Do you want to come to Boston with me?
3YO: Yes!
Me: What will we do there?
3YO: Run and turn and jump and jog.

D: I am going to show you something so you stop talking.
8YO: Never.

Overheard at Work, Vol. CIV

Over the course of the year, I'd say I run maybe one field trip a season, totaling up to four a year, give or take something really special. Usually, these are huge trips, and I'm mostly coordinating permission slips, staff to help chaperone, and schedules for the bus to and from the club.

This summer, I've been running a special program Wednesday evenings and taken a group of teens around the city to various arts and culture events. And it has been wonderful and super intense.

This week, I led fifteen teens to the Institute of Contemporary Art. An hour on three modes of transportation at rush hour was enough for me to be ready to call it a night. But seeing my kids so excited to engage in the artwork there was worth the trip.

Tonight, I led four teens to Shakespeare in the Commons. We packed food and laid out sheets and killed time playing Hangman and Two Truths and a Lie and 20 Questions, and it was beautiful and magical.

It's been an intense summer--very busy, early days, lots of new kids and exciting things to do and see.

I have one more day of work and then I'm on vacation for a week, and I cannot wait.

But when I get to sit back and think about moments like tonight, when the sun was peeking behind a cloud and the weather was just perfect and I was sitting with a group of young women, giggling at our silly answers to even sillier games, sharing Kit Kats and Reese's Pieces, I felt pretty lucky to do what I do.

Me, during a game of 20 Questions, to a 7 year old: Do you have a yes or no question?
7 year old boy: Yes!
Me: What's your question?
Boy: Does she wear famous clothes?
Me: Yes.
Boy: Yes! Famous people always wear famous clothes. I knew it!

Colleague A: Humans need to come with users manuals.

#1 9 year old boy: 3rd is the one with the hairy chest. That means I'm a MAN.

#2 9 year old boy: Do you know what leukemia is?
Me: Yes.
Boy: What is it?
Me: It's a blood disease.
Boy: No, it's butt cancer. My dad says it's butt cancer.

13 year old girl: Macadamia nuts are sexy.

Colleague B: I'm old.
7 year old boy: You're not old! You're just handsome!