I was pretending to be a 5th grade teacher today, a thing I do every other week, when I take the big kiddos out to recess for a half hour and watch them kick soccer balls at each other for fun. I guess we have many future goalies in-training because that is the big thing for recess. When I was a kid it was all about KickBall and Jump rope (also Skip It, Baby of the 80’s Child of the 90’s here.) I know the big thing about recess and gym is we want to keep the kids moving, as it counts towards their state mandated exercise. I’m probably too chubby to comment on this, but kids need the state and federal government to mandate how much physical exercise they get? I understand, obesity rates in kids, and sedintary lifestyles, but it’s scary that kids have to be told to run around.

When we were in Elementary School we would have a circle of girls and just chat it up, but now I suppose we would have to chat while jogging around the building or something. I started thinking more about our circle chats today, when a few of the 5th grade girls got sick of the boys kicking the soccer balls in every direction and came over to say hi…say hi and chat it up about my lack of a husband.

One girl asked me if I was married, and I said nope, “You don’t Want to get married?” I do “So why don’t you? Do you want to have kids?” Uh isn’t this a mother’s job to remark on the long term singleness of a child? (Actually my mom is great…or…she just gave up on me  years ago, who knows.)  I told them I was too young to get married ;) which prompted them to think I was 21, I can accept that, because 27 actually is a fine age to get married…I guess, I’ve never really tried it out, but I hear things.
This story didn’t depress me, it made me think back to when I was a kid at our playground chats, where I recall one girl actually told us you get babies from kissing, and how we had serious chats about what we would name our children, how many we would have, when we would get married, what we would wear. It’s funny thinking about it now, because getting married is, you know, a two person thing, but when you were little it was just a plan. “I will be married at 21 after graduating from college and become a Cat Dr. I will have two children, one named Maeve, the other Darius. I will live with my husband in a Castle in California.” (It’s very medievel, that California, I guess…)

I just find it amusing thinking back on those times, where planned your future and fully expected everything to happen as planned, even if it made no sense, because that’s how futures were, you picked them, and that was it. Then you get to 21 and think, OH when I was 8 I thought I’d be married now, hahahahaaa, and then you look at 27 and think,  wait, I don’t feel old? Am I too old? What if it takes me 10 years or longer to do this plan thing? 10 years goes by quick! I was JUST 17, but in 10 years I’ll be 37, and that’s getting old for having kids, so even though there is all this time ahead of me,  i caught this caught forming the other day: “I ALREADY FAILED THE PLAN I MADE UP WHEN I PLAYED WITH MY LITTLE PONIES, BACK when I  Thought the cute boy in class would someday love me instead of the pretty blonde girl because I bought him a necklace to give to her!!!”  (yes, I really did that) back when you thought, hey I just get married, that’s the thing to do, and not actually realize that people are single out in the world, both choosing to not be married, and those of us out there who just rather suck at being picked as girlfriends (and for gym teams)

I sort of wish I was a little kid again, it was nice to think that everything you planned and dreamed up was a sure fire fact for the future. I suppose that’s a depressing thought, I’m not saying I don’t tell my students to  follow their dreams, this is more about how when think we we are young. I love that kids think like that, it’s better than being all cynical and old before their time, but it is funny to think back on how the way you think (not what you think, the actual way your thoughts are processed) changes over time.

Oh, and there are those of you who just read this for books. I haven’t read too much lately, due to the start of school, working on “Prom Dates from Hell” and just got “Forest Born” in the mail yesterday, I am SO excited. Shannon Hale books are my favorite. I met her at ALA and she said the nicest things to me as I was about to start my Librarian career, about how I will change lives, and her new book is here and it is right on the coffee table next to me and I am bouncing up and down (hence the rather hyper run-on o’doom)

This blog was brought to you by my 5th graders, the trend of all the teachers my age getting married and changing their names, and my trusty cold medicine.