Baby La-Las

I made two kids cry today.  It's something to make them laugh, but it's a whole other to make them cry.  It happens rarely but when it does, it's usually over something trivial and they're always in grade one. 7 year olds man, pffff... JUST KIDDING, I love kids.  Especially the little ones, they're hilarious.

I walk into this grade one class towards the end of the day, and have them demonstrate "the human knot", where you grab people's arms in a circle and unknot yourself.  I was trying to convey problem-solving.  Undoing it is a challenge, but totally possible.

This would be the fourth knot demonstration of the week, and the first to end on the floor.  One kid pulled all the other kids and they went down like dominos.  I took him outside and explained to him why that didn't work and how you have to be patient and calm when I come to visit.  Then his bottom lip quivered and his eyes pooled with tears.

Break my heart, kid.  He told me someone was pinching him so that's why he did it. Nevertheless, I tried to remind him of the rules then sent him back to his desk, his head went straight down and his friends looked concerned.

Cry-kid #2 got busted doodling on her neighbor's name tag.  I crouch down and she won't look at me.  I asked her if she did it and she shrugged her shoulders.  I see that she's crying but no matter how calmly I try to speak to her she won't look at me.  Finally she puts her head up a bit but still won't make eye contact.  "I see that you're crying.  Are you crying because you're sorry for what you did?"  (No.) "Are you sorry you did it?"  (No.)  I rephrase to clarify, "you're not sorry?"  (No.)

I smiled and left it at that.  At least she was honest.

Still, I suspect the little ones burst into tears when they get caught doing something they know they shouldn't because the stress of the moment makes them cry.  It's only a natural reaction right?

But what do we as adults do?  We internalize and let it eat away at ourselves.  We shelve, bury or suppress the feelings, and then they creep out at a later date, when we're fully exhausted and ready to burst.

It's like they accumulate until we don't have any other option but to release and either freak out, or cry.  That's if we ignore the feelings.

Today I dropped my hummus on the staffroom floor and it cracked and hummus spewed out the corner.  Luckily, I was fairly unaffected but there have been several times where spilled substances have pushed me over the edge.  Then there's the times you do it on purpose...

I once shattered a salt and pepper shaker that represented exactly what I hated about a particular situation in my life, and left it for someone else to find, hoping they'd get the message.  Funny.  It was 7-pepper hummus that I dropped.

I guess I've come a long way, no longer a victim to unaddressed emotions.  Well I won't pretend like it never happens, but overall I roll with the punches.  Take some time, reflect, check in.

Then, if you feel the need, do something cathartic; cry, burst, smash or scream, let it out.  Let it go.  And remember to laugh at yourself.  Today I caught a kid in grade 5 writing in a colored pencil instead of lead.  I went over and looked in his pencil case, and counted 13 lead pencils in there.  He laughed because he knew how silly it was.  We all did.

Chadwick Stokes,

Katie