tippy-canoe

There was a moment today when I realized the world had gone mad. Truly, truly mad.
The kids. The full moon.
I told my kids if I was going to write a book about today I would call it "The Day the Full Moon Visited Second Grade."

One of them was kneeling peacefully at Mass and then suddenly slipped off the kneeler. BANG! In her sprawling attempt to save herself, her other leg kicked the kneeler behind her creating the sound that my coworker called, "the crash heard 'round the world" and right there in the middle of the Liturgy of the Word.

Kids were falling. Arms flailing. People all tippy-canoe in a line that wasn't even moving. Literally, they'd just fall right off their feet. And that was before the surprise fire drill.

It was nutso! One of them brought up behavior stickers and I told him, "Stickers?! I can't even worry about that today! You all are so shaky on your pins I just feel like I need to make sure we get out of this day intact!"

At first, I kind of ignored it. Somewhere in the middle of the day I was concerned. By the end of the day I had gotten the giggles something fierce. And I know it sounds terrible, but we were walking out at dismissal and one kid just...POOF!....fell right out of his shoes! I had never seen anything like it in my whole entire life.

"Ms. Mudd!!!" He blurted out, "I feel like I just tripped on the AIR!"

So if you saw me it dismissal bent over at the waist belly laughing, it is because I had lost the ability--seven falls later--to hold myself together.

So parents?
If they're home tonight with all ten fingers and all ten toes? After a day like today all I can say is: YOU'RE WELCOME.

~originally published October 2018