Long Commute

Ally has been taking a weekly afterschool class at a nearby nature preserve. It usually takes us 25-30 minutes to get there, but this week it took us 50 minutes! We also brought one of her classmates, Oscar and her friend Stella with us. 50 minutes in urban traffic with 3 six year olds! I was amazed at how much food they ate. They consumed so much I had to buy more snacks for the trip home!

At one point I dug around in my console and found a few toys; a slinky, a red matchbox car and a purple flower ring. Then in what I thought was a stroke of brilliance I gave them my camera.

Here is what they shot:

It was really interesting to listen to them talk and joke around. There was no teasing. And they had a couple of serious conversations.

Ally told them what it meant to be adopted

Ally said something about how sometimes friends don't know or forget she was adopted, like Erik. Oscar asked what does adoption mean?

Ally said:

"It means that you were not born from your parent's tummy" ..."Some one else who could not take care of you"...

she said it very quietly the first time and I heard it and encouraged her to say it again loudly for her friends to hear - they were really listening to her for her answer

so she repeated it

Oscar then said "some families have 2 dads" and I said yes, or 2 moms like Ally or maybe 1 dad or maybe 1 mom or maybe 1 dad and 1 mom - and Stella said "yeah, like I do" and Oscar said "me too" and so I ended it with - "there are all different kinds of families"

I was thrilled with Ally for being able to put into words in a very age appropriate way what it means to be adopted.

We also had a pretty good conversation while stuck in  traffic about being homeless and poor - because there was a small group of people settled in to camp in the median area across and the kids were honestly talking about it and not in a negative or derogatory way.

We were about 20 minutes late to class, but we found the group hiking in the woods, and when I went to pick them up, they were in the classroom working on their journals.

On the way home we played a game Oscar and Ally and told me Becky had taught them the week before.

Its called BORING

The adult asks the kids if they want to do something and the kids answer BORING (in a really annoying sing song way) or FUN (in a loud excited tone)

Me: Do you want to take a nap? Kids BORING

Me: Do you want to stop for ice cream? Kids FUN

This went on and on for about 15 minutes. They begged for more. I was stunned that Becky taught them this game.

Becky claims she did not teach it to them, but that Ally and Oscar made it up the previous week, and she just played it with them.

Hmmmmmmmm I guess we’ll never know what the truth is.