Say What?

Kids are funny, aren't they? They have no shame in what they talk about, and it makes me think that maybe we should all start to live that way. I've been working in childcare for three years now, and I've overheard some pretty hilarious conversations. I thought I'd share some of these priceless encounters!

I've worked at summer camp, after-school care, at preschools, and elementary schools, so I've heard my fair share of crazy conversations. Children have the most active imaginations. Wouldn't you just love to read their minds and find out what's going on in there? These imaginations often lead to pretty random—and hilarious—remarks, such as:

Girl: Miss Hayley, we have to run.

Me: Why?

Girl: BECAUSE THE WAFFLE INVASION IS COMING!

Yep. The waffle invasion. Can you believe it?!?

Another child remarked, "I went to Target this weekend, and man, it was great! I just had too much fun." (I feel you, kid.)

"Here's a question no one can answer," said another. "Name a whale that you know." I mean, he has a point—I don't think anyone knows a whale personally.

Ask any child what their favorite color is. Chances are you'll get, "pink," "blue," "yellow," or some other basic answer. Not with one camper I worked with.

Me: What's your favorite color?

Boy: Red, white, and blue. Because AMERICA!

I definitely was not expecting such a passionate and patriotic answer!

Growing up in North Carolina, and now living in Florida, I use my fair share of Southern American dialect, though I don't have an accent. After using the word "y'all" to address a group of students, one girl remarked, "Miss Hayley, you're too country. You have to stop using that word." I was a little confused by that one.

One particularly imaginative seven-year-old boy told me a joke that is well beyond his years.

Boy: Guess what?

Me: What?

Boy: I had to get a new butt today because mine had a crack in it!

I mean, come on! You can't help but laugh at that one.

Another clever joke from a seven-year-old was as follows:

Boy: Why did the bee go to school?

Me: I don't know, why?

Boy: So that he could be a spelling bee!

So cute! You know he couldn't wait to tell that one to everyone once he heard it.

Not all kids' jokes are funny though. Working with six-year-olds, jokes often sound like this:

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" They ask. "To get run over!" They reply, bursting into laughter. Yeah, kids can be kind of dark, sometimes.

Just a few days ago, I was in an elementary school with second and third graders. Another girl and I were being led around the playground by a boy, who was holding our hands as he walked. Upon seeing this, a sharply-dressed boy said, "Man! He's getting all the ladies!" You can't help but smile at things like this. Kids are also obsessed with who has a "crush" on whom, especially in the classroom. In the second grade classroom, I heard, "His brother has a crush on me, but I would never date him. He's too short!" That's right, too short! High standards for an eight-year-old, if I do say so myself.

As crazy as kids' dialogue can be, sometimes they can be really sweet and make you smile. A third grader saw her principal yesterday and said, "Wow, you're just BEAUTIFUL today!" How sweet is that? I've seen kids help each other out with schoolwork, pick each other up when they fall on the playground, and compliment each other as a pick-me-up.

Once, I was helping a student with their math homework, and I just couldn't figure out how to explain it using the "common core" method. After getting frustrated, the student said something to me that I will never forget. He said, "this doesn't sound like a compliment, but it is. You make a lot of mistakes, but you try your best and that's what matters!" So sweet. I think we could all use this piece of advice sometimes.

If you ever need a laugh, or a good piece of advice, look no farther than your friendly neighborhood eight-year-old.