The Innocence and Wonder of Children

I work as an elementary school counselor and because of that I probably have a somewhat different experience than many of you will have/have had/are having during your pregnancy. I really started showing around Thanksgiving (give or take a week) and that's when I told my students that I was pregnant and due in May. Within the month many of the younger kids (kindergarten and first graders) started asking 1)If I'd had the baby yet or 2)when it was going to be born. To adults, nine months really isn't that long to wait but for kids it might as well be ten years. Now that I'm very obviously pregnant kids have all kinds of questions and comments about the baby and my every-changing figure and also want to touch me all the time. I really don't mind that except the little girl who tried to lift up my shirt to look at the baby... That was a little much for me.

Here are some of my favorite comments or questions from kids:

1. You are getting so FAT! (I replied "Yes, I know" and he again said "You are getting really really fat!")
2. You're having a baby. You'd better get to the hospital soon.
3. What color will the baby be? (This question was asked by a student who is biracial, so I can understand where she was coming from, although some other students looked at her strangely.)
4. You should name the baby Zathura. (we considered it briefly but quickly threw that one out!)

And my all-time favorite was made by a kindergarten boy when he said, "I know where babies come out." And then pointed at his rear-end!

TLA