My Parents Call Me...
I took Boogs to his kindergarten orientation last week. I was feeling some trepidation as I was gearing myself up to take him. I made sure that I had all of his paperwork in order and (oh, my!) there is a lot of it. I was worried how he would do, but I shouldn't have. He was just fine and so was I.
However, I now know that with kindergarten, there means there are no more secrets! The parents were escorted to a kindergarten classroom to wait for our children who were in another room getting to know the teachers. While I was waiting, one of the staff members calls me over. I knew C. from when I was teacher and we had worked together at another school. She starts laughing and tells me what's going on in the other room.
Teacher: What is your name?
Boogie: W.
Teacher: Do you have nickname?
Boogie: My cousins call me "W" but my parents call my Booger
Teacher: Your parents call you Bug? Buggy?
Boogie: No. Booger. They call me Booger.
Teacher: Are you sure?
Boogie: Yes. It's because I had a lot of boogers in my nose when I was a baby.
Teacher: When is your birthday?
B: March 29th.
Teacher: When is your birthday?
B: I think I already told you that.
When C. told me, I about died! My face turned red and while I'm laughing with her, I am horrified at the same time. Yes, I call him Boogie. And yes, it's because he had a lot of boogies when he was a baby. But it's not a name that we call him in public anymore, unless you count reading this blog. I think I have to come up with another pseudonym for him.
I'm not thrilled with the way that he answered the second question either. I'm a little worried that my dear soon-to-be kindergartner will be that overly precocious kid. The one that the teachers just sigh at whenever he speaks. Teacher friends, you know the ones I'm talking about!
I'm also pretty sure that I'm already labeled as that parent. You know the pita kind (pain in the a**). I was asked if I was already back at work after having my baby. I said no and that I had just resigned from the county as a teacher. All four kindergarten teachers looked at one another and lifted their eyebrows. All right so now I'm the PITA parent with the precocious kid.
Kindergarten will be just fine...as long as I realize there are no secrets in kindergarten. Doh!