What follows is a partial transcript of the conversation that took place behind my back on the car ride home from school yesterday. But it could be every day.
(Music playing, the iPod in shuffle mode.)
Me: How was school today?
S: Good. KB wasn’t in class today. (KB is the kid who bullies S on an almost daily basis.)
Me: Great. Glad you had a good day.
E: That is one fat taxi driver. (We all look out the windows on the right side of the care, where next to us is a taxi, indeed being driven by a rather fat man.)
S and E take out their magnadoodles, a magnetic drawing toy, and began to draw pictures. This is their favorite car distraction, and we keep the doodles in the seat backs so they have easy access.
S: Look! I drew a mud hut! ( S tries to shove her magna doodle in my face. I quickly peer at what I think is a coconut wearing a wig and then look back at the road. )
Me: A what?
S: A mud hut. From Kenya.
(We switch to the left lane to pass an older gentleman riding a bicycle in the right lane. He is not wearing a helmet.)
Me: What an idiot.
S: Who’s an idiot?
E: That old bald guy on the bike. He’s not wearing a helmet.
S: Well that’s dumb. He’s gonna get hit by a car and skin his bald head on the road.
E: Skittlehead?
S (laughing): No, skin his head. Like you skin your knee.
(E draws a stick person with a big round head on her magna doodle.)
E: Look! (She holds up her magna doodle.) Skittlehead!
(S and E erupt in laughter.)
(We change lanes again to pass a Buick going below the speed limit in the left lane.)
E: Figures. Old lady.
S: Ha! Old ladies are slow.
S and E started to talk about tapeworms, which was the subject of E’s latest science book report and accompanying poster. I have had enough talk about tapeworms of late, so I stopped listening to the back seat conversation.
No comments:
Post a Comment