So cold it made the brass monkey squeal

[osprey_archer]

It's so cold outside that there are probably brass monkeys squealing in sympathy all the way down in Tennessee.

On the bright side, walking to the coffee shop did make my leg-which-is-still-complaining-about-being-jumped-on-by-five-year-olds numb. So, you know, silver lining, not that there are any clouds tonight. That might keep the temperature from plummeting into liquid nitrogen territory, and highs of -5 are just not character building enough, you know?

As for the five-year-olds: volunteering at a childcare center is a requirement for my Developmental Psych class, and it's a blast. Tiny people still exist! They're still totally crazy! And they seem to like me, which is always a plus.

I like kids. It's totally impossible to be dignified when you're playing with children, which is a relief; it's unnecessary to impress them, or rather the bar for impressing them is so low you could step over it. Do a good impression of an EVIL FISH THAT IS GOING THE EAT THEM OM NOM NOM and they're happy.

I suspect the reason so many adults subscribe to the idyllic theory of childhood is because interacting with children as an adult - especially if you aren't responsible for them - is so fantastic that it overrides the memories of how inherently stressful it is to be a child, even a child who grows up untouched war, famine, natural disasters, plague, child abuse, etc. Because really, children have the attention span of dragonflies and they giggle all the time, how bad could it possibly be?

Comments

[exuberantself.livejournal.com]

Kids who aren't yours are awesome. Personally, I'm all for a fun little person whose love can be bought with a box of apple juice and a piggy back ride. Particularly if said little person can be handed off as soon as he gets whiny and/or annoying.

I actually had to fulfill a similar training exercise for an education class several years ago. The teeny-tiny five-year-old drew me a picture of an angel and cut it out and everything. I keep it on my refrigerator, it's so cute. ...well, I think it's an angel. ..it might be a dragon.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Hee. One of the kids gave me a picture too. She called it a rainbow, even though it was all purple.

Sadly I forgot it in the classroom, so my refrigerator is still bare. :( Oh well. Maybe I'll get another picture next week.

[so-december.livejournal.com]

I used to work at a children's science museum. The wonders that kids would get up to never fails to amuse me.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

:o That would be awesome. Was it one of those new-fangled museums with stuff for kids to climb on? That sort of thing was just coming in when I was growing up and it filled me with joy.

[so-december.livejournal.com]

It's the exact same one. We'd have lots of science related exhibits for the kids (and the adults) to enjoy. We had everything from dig your own dinosaur bones to a live simulated mini tornado.

At that place, I used to perform science experiment shows (complete with the lab coat, purple wig and huge glasses) and I used to also run astronomy sessions in the planeterium for the public. I loved that job, but had to give it up when I graduted from University and moved away to Sydney (and came back home, but that's another story altogether).

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Aw. It's too bad you had to leave.

[so-december.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I suppose it is and isn't at the same time. It was the easiest job I've ever had, compared to the job I have now. But at the same time I was being bullied by a particular person that worked there also. So when the time came, I was glad to leave.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Oh. This is the evil girl you posted about, yes? *shudders*

[so-december.livejournal.com]

Yep, the very same one.