An Aggravating Week: Part II

And so it was that during one of the more busy weeks I've had since diapers, my phone rang at work.

I knew the number.

Ugh.

"Hello...."

"Hi, Ms. Stub her?"

"Yes, this is Mrs. Stew brrr."

"Hi, this is so-and-so from Sienna Crossing Elementary.  I'm the school counselor."

(Oh, this was new.  I am used to hearing from principals.)

"Yes?"

And so she explained that she was reviewing the cultural awareness T-shirt pictures that all the kids in the school had been assigned as homework, and well there was Ben's.

"Mrs. Stuber, can you tell me what the cultural meaning of the skull is in the middle of the picture?"

(Oh.  Oh, dear.)

"No.  No I can't."

"Oh, well I was just thinking.   I mean, I can't hang it up with the others.  Unless maybe there was a cultural significance of the skull?"

My head reply: Well, it's a strange exercise.  These kids all live in sticky-sweet suburbia together.  They are all growing up as friends.  Why in Kindergarten are we choosing to make them all start picking out the differences amongst each other?  And so what if we are a family of pirates?  Why are you going to pick on us?

My verbal reply: "There's no significance.  I'm sure their father told them to just draw a picture.  Do we need to re-do it?"

Perking up: "Well, yes.  Yes, I think that's probably best."

"Okay, thank you. Just send it home."