Preschool and Pee

Flop went for her surgery on Wednesday. (She's fine.) So, Wednesday evening I did the mad dash to pick up the kids from after school care, drive to Dayton in 5pm traffic and pick up Flop before the Humane Society closed at 6pm.

I should plan outings like this more often. Car rides do something to my kids. They open up. They talk about things I wouldn't normally hear because our typical routine is to go straight home and start homework and dinner. We talk, but it is between Bakugan battles, My Little Pony horse corralling, feeding/petting all the real animals and just life in general. So, I know I'm missing vital information at times. Luckily, my kids shared with me during the car ride two important pieces of information about happenings in their life Wednesday. I'm so glad they shared with me.

Set scene: James has burst into tears because I've forgotten to staple 20 pieces of paper together at work for him. Jesse will spend the next 45 minutes occupying herself quietly during the car ride. Her bomb will come later.

James: Mommy, know how long me and Micah have been friends?

Me: Since kindergarten(?).

James: No! Since preschool.

Me: Buddy, you didn't go to preschool.

James: Where did I go?

Me: Meme's house.

James: Why didn't I go to preschool?!

Me: Daddy and I thought you needed a year to play at Meme's house rather than go to preschool.

James: But, Mommy! All the important things they learn in preschool I didn't learn. I'll NEVER learn them! I'm going to be so behind in school.

Me: ??????

I really wanted to say, "You are in 1st grade, you didn't miss anything you don't already know." I didn't though, instead I turned the conversation to the new rabbits in his classroom.

Through careful extraction, I learned the teacher is keeping bunnies in the classroom because "She doesn't want them to poop in her house." "She loves them soooo much!". I'm not dogging the teacher, it is just in general, I disagree with rabbits in the classroom. Actually, I disagree with animals in general in the classroom. Rabbits especially are typically not equipped with the temperament to deal with 20+ loud kids in a confined space for 8 hours a day. Rabbits are also not physically a good choice for young kids because dropping them could result in the rabbit's back being broken. Rabbits have thin skin that is easily ripped, torn and scratched. Rabbits bite.

BUT! Despite my attempts to persuade James to let me write a note to the teacher offering to help, James doesn't want me involved. James was upset that the teacher wouldn't let the kids touch the rabbits. (It is a mom and a baby). I agree with the teacher. I just wonder what she is going to say if the baby turns out to be a boy and starts humping the momma.

Now onto Jesse's bomb.

Set scene: We've gone through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru for dinner.

Jesse: Mommy, I have to pee really bad.

Me: Can you hold it? We are 5 minutes from the house?

Jesse: Yeah. I already peed my pants today anyway.

Me: WHAT?!!!

James: Sissy, you are wearing the same pants as this morning. Didn't you change?

Jesse: No, I didn't tell the teacher.

Me: When did this happen?

Jesse: At storytime. I left a puddle under the table.

Me: Why didn't you tell the teacher?

Jesse: I didn't want to get a red.

James: *smacks Jesse's arm* You tell the teacher when you have to go and if you have an accident, silly! She won't give you a red. I pooped my pants last year, I didn't get a red.

So, with a sniff of her pants and a note to the teacher, I'm so glad I made the drive with my kids. I need to do it more often.

Flop is recovering just fine from her spay. The humane society, through Dayton Area Rabbit Network (D.A.R.N.) and the Rascal organization provided the spay. Part of the spay included putting tattoo ink on her incision, so that if she gets lost and they try to spay her again, the vet will know at a glance that she's been spayed. White rabbit now has black belly tattoo.