Well, Mom...It Came Back to Get Me...

I haven't shared any funny classroom happenings in a long time, but I had to share this one! I'm sure we've all heard our mom say a time or two, "This is going to come back to get you when YOU have kids one day!" And while I don't have any kids of my own yet, I do have 570 great kiddos to take care of where I work and teach, and well...my mother's words definitely rang true last week.

As students are lining up to leave the classroom, I see a child in tears (the silent painful kind - streaming down his face!) and he is not moving. Upon further investigation, I hear another child say, "Ms. W....He's STUCK!" Sure enough, caught in between the metal stair rail and the wall near the exit of my room was one child size elbow...that wouldn't budge! Thankfully there was an assembly that day, so my next group of kiddos were not waiting to come in, and I sent the others out to meet their teacher and another child to the office to ask for help.

One good Vasseline "greasing," wrench (or whatever you call that tool!) turning, screw-loosening minute later...and he was free. (Thank you to our wonderful Nurse W. and our custodian Mr. D!) I was trying so hard not to giggle the whole time. Not because of the situation...believe me, my heart went out to the child and his, uh...creative situation. But I couldn't scold him, and here's why!

Enter the scene myself, my siblings, and may parents at a community Thanksgiving service over 20 years ago. I think I was probably only four years old or so, although I could have been a little older, I'm not sure. We are at another church in the community, not our own, and they are having two services to serve the large number of people attending. The first service we are attending is almost over, and..........I decide to stick my elbow in the back of the pew where the hymnals go. Why?! Well, why not?! lol Except that....it got stuck. And the tears started coming down my face. And my mother had already said, "Don't do that!" And, ummm....enter the scene three or four strong men who had to CARRY the pew out (thankfully we were back-row Baptists and had been sitting in the very back where they had placed some 'temporary' removable seating for extra guests) to the lobby. Enter the tools they had to use to unscrew the hymnal holder and free my elbow...and enter a furious mother, embarrassed siblings, and...well the rest is really history. I still have my elbow, and now - I've had my payback, I guess! At least until I have a child of my own who will probably decide to stick their nose or another random body part somewhere and get stuck one day! :)

Moms always know...