7/2 QOTW

What's your favorite thing to do at work when you're 'goofing off'?

Terrorize the kiddos.
No fooling.



Last Friday I was pretty frazzled at work. It was Friday and Friday always means catchupifyoucan (and most times I stay until it IS caught up--so I'm makin' it work for me! Har!)
Particularly tough Friday, last Friday--catchup wise and acting out kid wise.
We'd all had a tough morning.

And then there was the "I'm gonna mess with 'em" moment. *evil grin*

Yep, I pulled a hair outta place and went about my business.

"Umm.....Ms. Mel? You have this stickey up piece of hair...." Of course, it's sheepishly said cuz they're embarassed to point it out.

"Yep--I know it's there, thanks for letting me know."

"Ummmmm.....you want me to get some hairspray from my room or somethin'?"

"Nope--I'm good to go."

(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder people don't LIKE things out of place.)

"You're not gonna leave it like that, are ya?"

"Is it bothering you?"

"YES!"

"Then I'm leavin' it, thanks. Accept the things you cannot change....give it a whirl!"

Frazzled child exits and I'm feeling quite smug. I can't COUNT the number of times that kiddos terrorized ME! LOL Revenge can be quite sweet!

Enter next child--do you get the sense I have a FEW OCD kiddos?

"Ummmmm....Ms. Mel? Your hair is kinda......well, it's, ahhhh, it's sticking out."

"Really."

Pointing and offering to stick it down is always an option--'cept the kiddos don't touch me cuz I'm not a touchey feely kinda adult. I leave that to the counselors--they seem to LIKE touchy feely stuff. PASS--thanksverymuch!

Seven kiddos in all--every single one of them kindly presented to me that my hair was sticking up in an uncontrolled and unacceptable fashion.....well, unacceptable to THEM.
I was snickering at the last three as I suggested they practice a bit of acceptance.

I think they figured out it was a conspiracy.

Enter Suzi.
Now, Suzi's the only child on the unit that I "allow" to touch me....or the only one who's brave/'insane' enough to dare to! LOL The kiddo's been there for a good chunk of time and she's not an emotionally well kiddo. She's enough trauma in her young life to last a lifetime. She's schizophobic and you can't help but love the child. Well, I can't help but love her. She's not presumptious with her 'hug'--it's a hug by her own definition. It's a head to whatever body part she can reach in her 4'10" splendor--generally it's her head to my arm and two very light pats on the shoulder with two fingers.
Friday it was two very light pats to the head RIGHT where the stickey outty hair was--and a squealing laughing child bolting down the hallway as I turned with a menacing "Suziiiiii...."

I did check with the kiddo and asked if 'they' paid her well for that one, figuring she (the only one on the unit who'll touch me without real or imagined severe consequences...LOL) had been bribed by a tribe of OCD kiddos who'd reached their breaking point.

"Okay, Suzi-Q......what'd they give ya for that one?"
"Whatchamean?"
"C'mon....fess up!" (I gave her my best stern look for a Friday afternoon--which worked!)

"A candy bar!" she giggled.

She was ripped off--she shoulda held out for a whole bag! LOL