Diary of a Day Care

In writing this journal of daily life in my home day care, I hope to capture some of those small, but unforgettable moments that only happen once, and share them with you. Some of these precious moments, the parents will be glad they missed (and they may wish I hadn't preserved them). Rest assured, the names have been changed to protect the innocent kids (and the often embarrassed parents).

Case in point: Vanessa arrived at my house early one morning yawning and with dark circles under her eyes. After her mother left for work looking tired and haggard, Vanessa explained, "We didn't get much sleep last night 'cause me and mom had to drive by all the bars in town looking for dad".

Then there was the afternoon the children were discussing who they would have spend the night with them if they could. Joshua, 5, piped up, "Guess what?!", his usual way of starting sentences. "Matt spent the night last night!". Having never heard him mention a friend by that name, I (innocently) asked if Matt was a new friend of his.
"No," Joshua replied, " He's my mom's new friend!".

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We've been studying a different letter of the alphabet every few days. While thinking of items that start with Aa one child said, "I know. A-S-S!". They're not allowed to say it, but for some unexplained reason think it's ok to spell it. While naming Bb items, the same child shouted, "Ba-Ba-Butthead!" I can't wait to see what Cc brings.

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This reminds me of Ryan, a preschooler I once watched. When he returned to my house after preschool one day, we practiced the alphabet while looking at a chart on the wall. Astonished, Ryan exclaimed, " These are the same letters we learn at my school!"

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I recognized the tune Justin was singing as Three Blind Mice. When I listened closely to the words, I realized he was singing "Rewind mice, rewind mice."

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It started as a quiet disagreement, but soon escalated to a full-blown shouting match. The argument? Who was the quietest.
They completely missed the irony of this.

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Mondays sometimes bring surprises for me, as when I asked the kids what they'd done over the weekend.

"Me and my brother and Grandpa were looking at a calendar with naked women on it!" Russell, 5, exclaimed.

"I'm sure they had swimsuits on," I said.

"They do now", he explained, "'cause Mom took a marker and drew swimsuits on 'em!".

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Funny thing is you can tell a person's generation by whether they call it a "marker" or a "magic marker". Yes, I'm of the magic marker generation. Back in the day, they did seem a bit magical.