Sit a What?

I know it sounds dumb, but the thing about working with little kids is that sometimes you have to remind yourself that they are, well, kids…little kids…little six-year old kids…who don’t have the same experiences that us old folks have and who aren’t familiar with many of the terms and expressions we old folks throw at them on a daily basis.  Just the other day something happened that reminded me of this little factoid.

While on yard duty…can I just stop and say that I heart with a big fat red line through it yard duty…anyway, I’m on yard duty and I hear a kid crying pretty loudly so I rush over to see what’s going on.  He’s not one I usually see having any troubles so I rush over extra quick like. 

Doubled over, he can’t really talk so his friend explains that he (the friend) had taken off his shoe (his own shoe) so that he could throw it to his friend (the one now doubled over) and apparently he threw it (his shoe) too hard.  Hello?!  Since when do we take off our shoes and throw them at people…especially at our friends? 

Anyway, the shoe-throwing friend had that remorseful look in his eyes that you hope kids have when they realize they have hurt someone, so I didn’t come down too hard on him.  Hallelujah, Amen, some kids still have empathy! 

So the kid is crying and I ask if he needs to go to the nurse.  He says, “No.” 

So I say, “Would you like to go to the bathroom and put some cold water on your face?”  (This, by the way, is usually a one-size-fits-all cure all.)

Not this time though because, again, he says, “No.” 

And I say, “Well, is there anything I can do for you?  Do you need help with anything?” 

Once again he says, “No.” 

He’s still pretty upset so I ask, “Would you just like to stay here and sit a spell then?” 

He looks at me like HUH?  And I can tell by the look on his face that he’s thinking, “I’m crying my eyes out here lady and you want me to spell something?!  What the heck?!” 

I turn on my heel and leave.  Clearly, he’d have been much better off without my “help.”