rules

Tonight we all sat around our table at Zia and ate and laughed and chatted. The stools there are VERY tall, so we try not to get too raucous. We cover many topics at dinner. We talk about the day, and friends, and, of course, school usually comes up. My children are stymied by all the rules at school. We discuss them a lot!

And this is where parenting gets tricky.

I do not, necessarily, want my kids to follow all the rules. In fact, there are some that we advocate that they break. So many of the rules were made with worst case scenarios in mind. Others are just plain silly.

Example: Della came home on the first day of kindergarten and said that she was NOT going to do 'hips and lips'. (hand on your hip and finger on the lip when walking to and fro around the school). Don't do it then, Sister, I said. And she didn't and doesn't. Instead she walks quietly. Genius, that girl.

Good manners, yes. Respectful behavior, yes. Moral high ground, yes. All the other crap. Maybe and maybe not.

Just try not to get caught, buddy.

They never get in trouble. Seriously. Their teachers say that they are a joy to teach.

So either they have achieved a zen-like state around the rules because we have disarmed them with our nonchalance, or there are some very deep covert ops going down at school.

I hope it's a bit of both.