Trouble with a Capital T

Last night was Kindergarten Night at Anna's school. Being that we are new to the whole school thing, we, of course, did not bring her. Standing there like a couple of idiots and thinking that it was an actual meeting of sorts for the parents, we stood out from the crowd. Yup, we were the only adult folk there sans ankle biters.

Her teacher asked where she was, and we said, "Well, at home with her nana."

"Too bad, she would have loved to have shown you around."

John and I gave each other simultaneous idiot looks in a Doublemint Twins sort of way, and John whisked off to get her. As if I didn't stand out enough, now I was without a Male Income Support Unit. I stood out in the hall looking at the art work made by Anna's class, probably looking a little like a stalker because another teacher came up and asked me if I could be helped. I assured her that there was no help to be had, that yes I had been abandoned, no I wasn't lost, and yes they were coming back. I waited uncomfortably out in the muggy hallway.

John and Anna finally arrived, and the three of us went back in to the suffocating heat of her classroom. Anna beamed as John and I pretended not to know which of the drawings were hers; and she made sure to show us all of the different areas of the classroom she liked the most, including a table with live "calla-pitters".

John and I mingled a bit,and we got to talking with a couple who's daughter is also an Anna. Oddly enough, her last name ends with the same letter as ours. Anna and Anna had fun playing together and tickling each other. A few minutes later, we hear maniacal laughter from the corner of the room. Since I am familiar with that laugh, I didn't need to look in that direction to know it was my child; but since I know what usually follows that particular laugh... I looked.

In that corner, the teacher has a behaviour board. Each child has their own pocket with 4 different colored cards:
Green is for good behaviour
Yellow is for minor mishaps
Orange is for bad behaviour, but fixable
Red is for disasters!

So, of course my kid was playing a trick on one of her classmates and put a red card next to her name. The other Anna joined in, and soon 2 more kids joined in the fun. As we were getting ready to leave the teacher asked the Annas nicely if they could put everyone back in the green, so that no one would throw a clot the next day at school. As they switched the cards around, I began to blush ( and probably sweat) profusely.

I pointed at John," Great, looks like she inherited the prank gene from the both of us." John laughed and shook his head, while I confided that I used to Super Glue the teacher's chalk to the chalk board. To which John gave me a startled look, as if to say, "Now, why would you choose to share that particular tidbit, today of all days?"

I responded in kind with a guilty look that said, " How the heck should I know?You know I say ridiculously stupid things when I am nervous! Stop me before I ask her teacher if she wants to see my c-section scar."

Her teacher shushed me, and chuckled, then said It was probably not a good idea to say that within hearing distance of 5 year olds. *gulp* Taking my gulp as a cue, Anna practically shouted, "It was all my idea!" ...followed by more maniacal laughter.

Anna 2 chimed in." Yeah, I helped!" We grabbed our kids and shoved them out the door, laughing nervously. Anna 2's dad made a comment about the Annas, and how they were going to keep the teacher on her toes.

I continued to turn 32 Flavors of red, while leaving the school via the exit that was conveniently located closest to the school office. As I was walking out I had visions of visiting that office, often. *cringe* Ahhhh, memories.

When we got home, Anna referred to her little card trick as her evil plan. Shortly there after, I began to wonder if it was a good idea for me to have taught her speak at an early age after all. They say what goes around, comes around. *thinks back on all the teen-aged stuff I did, all the pranks I pulled* If what they say is true, we are in deep kimchee. That's just my stuff, don't even get me started on her dad. ;o)