Mar 30 2008
The Problem with Oversimplification
We were discussing the possibility of a day trip to Stanwell Park. The girls asked what there was to do there. We suggested some lunch, then an ice cream cone while we watch the people on “kites”.
Miss 6: “What do you mean the people on kites?”
MM: “Well sometimes people strap themselves onto big kites and jump off a cliff.”
Miss 4: “Oh, you mean hang gliding?”
Yes, MM does know better.
This from a kid who asked me later in the day whether I’d heard of “onomatopoeia”. Searching the memory back to what – year seven poetry? I struggle with a definition “Is that when words sound like what they are describing? Like ‘buzz'”.
“Yes, that’s it!” exclaim Miss 4 and Miss 6 in unison.
I ask miss 4 where she’d heard the term. “Oh from Billy* in my class”. Man, I thought five year old boys usually talked about match box cars – vrooooom!
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Ah, but in case you were thinking every story about my kids is a positive one…
I got a phone call from the school on Friday. It was announced by the receptionist “I have the school on the line, but they said not to panic…”.
I love the way they always announce the calls like that. Miss 6 had taken herself to sick bay, complaining of a sore ear. The “nurse” was asking me what I wanted her to do. I suggested she ask Miss 6 if she wanted to come home, as opposed to having some panadol and seeing how she went. Miss 6 responded with “Yes, I think I’d better go home”.
So Saturday arrived, and her ear was still sore, so it was time to take her to the doctor. I’m thinking maybe middle ear infection…
I don’t know who was more surprised, me or the young doctor, when he looked in her bad ear and exclaimed “There’s something in there!”
His first case of “foreign body in ear” (unfortunately not mine)! And, he told me, an interesting case for the last patient of the day. Piece #1 came out with the tweezers, pieces # 2 and 3 had to be flushed out before extraction.
The truth came out – eventually. Seems miss 4 decided to put something (resembling small pieces of paper/sticker/paper towel?) in miss 6’s ear. The girls are 15 months apart, and their loyalty to each other, while admirable, scares me sometimes. Miss 6 didn’t want miss 4 to get in trouble, so she didn’t want to admit it was her.
Fortunately, no damage done, but I did have a long discussion (including diagram of the ear) explaining just how dangerous this can be.
* name changed.
7 Responses to “The Problem with Oversimplification”
lol
Kids!
who’d have em?
oh wait.
we did.
Hmmm.
Are we insane? 😉
Bettina’s last blog post..Mum’s Birthday.
Kids. They are amazing, wonderful and really annoying. 😀
Marita’s last blog post..Wrestlemania
Ugh, I can see many more incidents like that in my future. We’ve already had our first “foreign object in ear” incident for Miss 4 (then 2!). And the covering for each other? Sooo over that. My two are 14 months apart, and I am not sure how much longer I can take the extremes of constant dobbing, and hiding increadibly naughty behaviour.
Kin’s last blog post..Menu Plan Monday – 31 March 2008
I think that my kids would be too scared to try “foreign body in ear” after my daughter found her grommet when it eventually came out. She approached me with something in her hand and told me it was in her ear. Well, the poor kid got 10 minutes of how naughty it was, never, ever do that, yada yada yada, then she very quietly told me she didn’t put it in there, it fell out. D’oh, Mother of the Year again
Gemisht’s last blog post..Happy Easter Everyone
I’m just hugely thankful it wasn’t a live creature. I still haven’t recovered from that story about the spider being found in that kids ear, and that he had heard rice krispie sounds while it was in there. Now I am perfectly capable of hearing rice krispie sounds anytime I feel like there’s something in there, and this is usually at night when I am trying to sleep – and the ear is in the perfect position for something crawling into it.
Maybe I will invent ear covers, or sleep with a swimming cap on. 😉
Cheers,
Snos
Snoskred’s last blog post..Thought For Today – Monday 31st March
Gawd kids! Almost as good as Feral Beast who, aged 4, felt hot so he poured a cup of water into his ear!
1 raging ear infection later…. lol
Jayne’s last blog post..Bits ‘n’ Bobs
Yeah, thanks for that Snoskred. Wish I didn’t read the comments now…
Meg, get out. Get out now!!! It won’t be long before those kids will be looking at you with disdain and wondering how you manage to breathe and talk at the same time cause you are so stupid.
These girls sound far too smart, and devious. You are in trouble woman. Run away with me. I should have disappeared years ago when they started making jokes in HTML.
Kelley’s last blog post..I am such a blog whore