Confessions and Kid Farts

I work with kindergarteners. Kindergarten is decidedly not my calling, but for now it's, we'll say, preparing me for motherhood(?). Full disclosure, most days I think I'm lucky to get out alive. I love them all dearly, but it's certainly an adventure, to say the least. But I'm learning a lot, and soon I think I'll have a better handle on it. It's also a good way to observe other teachers' methods and figure out what would and wouldn't work for me. All in all, a very positive experience, but the few moments of terror are enough to make me fully exhausted once I get home.

Today, two of my kindergarteners farted. 

Now, I am not exactly a grown-up about farts. I scoff when the Professor rips one, especially if it stinks, but when I'm alone in my car, I fart. And I laugh about it. Farts are funny! Today I was at a stoplight and it happened unexpectedly, just kind of slipped out, and I cracked up. I laugh at toots. So sue me.

So forgive me, but I am going to derive something inspirational from these fart stories. You've been warned. 

The first kid fart happened early this morning, before things even got started. We were doing puzzles on the floor, as we do every morning before the stragglers come in, and two of the kiddos were working on one together. Now, the little girl in this story is seriously so cute I could die. She is very intelligent, very articulate, and I've become very attached to her (I'll say that about all of them). The little boy in this story is boisterous and emotional; something's either SUPER AWESOME or SUPER FUNNY or he's on the floor in a puddle. There is no in between. 

So, they're working on this puzzle together, and all of a sudden, Little Girl rips one. A big one. And for her, it ain't no thang, she's just doing what comes naturally. Doesn't even flinch. I'm standing nearby, and I'll admit, my eyes got wide, just because I didn't expect something that hefty to come out of such a tiny, tiny child. My wide eyes, however, were nothing compared to Little Boy's. He stared at her, mouth agape, for probably five or six seconds, then laughed in a sort of, "Oh good Lord what do I do" sort of nervous way. Then, after she failed to react, even a little bit, he laughed heartily and then they moved on with their lives and finished their puzzle.

The second kid fart was, in fact, the same Little Boy. It happened in music class, while we were playing a game that involved being very quiet. We're on round 8 of this game, and during the very quiet part of the round, Little Boy pops a few toots in rapid succession. The whole class gets very deliberately hushed, like "We're... supposed to be quiet!" I see hands go up to mouths, wanting to laugh, but for the most part they did a good job of keeping it under control. Little Boy, meanwhile, is laughing exuberantly at his own creation. He's genuinely and fully enjoying this proud moment. The kids' music teacher and I exchange glances, and we're both trying not to laugh (because farts are funny). Then, Little Boy's guffaws trailed off into hiccup-giggles, and the class moved on and finished the game.

So, here's where I derive the inspiration: Witnessing Little Boy's unadulterated enjoyment of this most hilarious of bodily functions evidenced his family's treatment of the act. He has older brothers, and it's obvious that fart contests are frequent occurrences in that household. When Little Boy rips one, I have no doubt in my mind that Dad says, "Hey, good one!" Meanwhile, at Little Girl's house, farting is just another thing that happens. She has sisters, and I'm sure they just toot and move on without fanfare. So I think back to that moment in the morning, when Little Girl passed gas and Little Boy processed her totally unexpected reaction, and then she let him laugh without getting embarrassed or huffy. Then, when he ripped one later on, she reacted in her way, and she didn't judge him for fully enjoying it.

These are two kids that come from families with totally different cultures. Entirely different practices when it comes to just about everything, including this basic function. And there they were, sitting side by side on the floor, doing puzzles and playing games, farting harmoniously. Bless their tolerant little hearts.

Find the beauty, right?


Happy Thursday, friends.

-The Professor's Wife