We fixed Biscuit a plate, and he took his plate over to the table and positioned himself between two adults he didn't even know. He didn't care, either. Just as long as he got to eat his snacks.
Biscuit also didn't mind that the birthday cake was two of his favorite flavors ... chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.
After the cake, one of the science center workers came to get the kids. She said the kids were going to go meet some animals. So of course, all the kids were excited.
I don't know if the science center worker has kids or has worked with a lot of kids, but she didn't work well with these particular kids. She was trying to give them a science lesson on the differences between animals and plants and how humans are animals, but seeing as the oldest kid there was 5 and the youngest was 1 1/2, it didn't go over so well. And you'd think she would've picked up on this pretty early on, but alas, she did not.
A couple of kids got called down, including Biscuit. She was kneeling on a carpet, and the kids were sitting on little carpet squares around the edges of the big carpet. The woman was talking about what animals eat, and Biscuit and I had just been talking about herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. So when the woman started talking about animals that only eat plants, Biscuit yelled out to her that those are herbivores. She didn't acknowledge him, so he said it again ... and again ... and again, a little louder ... and again!
Finally, he got up and walked over and stood with his face about 6 inches away from her face. I was trying to signal to Biscuit that he should go sit down, but he was too intent on telling the woman that animals that eat plants are herbivores.
Finally, Jeff walked over and scooped up Biscuit. And Biscuit thought he was in big trouble.
All Jeff wanted to do was get him settled down a bit so he could see the animals when the woman FINALLY brought them out. But poor Biscuit started to cry. He assumed Jeff was mad at him, and Biscuit really hates being in trouble. It seems to just crush him. So he just boo-hooed.
I finally walked over there and held him for a minute. I explained that Jeff wasn't mad at him, he just wanted him to sit in his designated spot.
And let me take a little birdwalk here ...
I grew up in a small community, 20 minutes from the nearest town. And I guess because it was so small, whether you were actually kin or not, it seemed like everybody was at least distant family. So when my brother and I were bad, it was perfectly acceptable for us to be called down by any number of ladies, including my Mama's friends, our friends' mothers and my Granny's friends. They called you down, and you did what they said.
And it's funny, but when we visit my parents and go to the church I grew up in, and Biscuit goes to the Sunday school class for his age, I fully expect the teachers to make him behave. And they do. And I'm just fine with that.
Some of my friends babysit Biscuit every once in a while, and I fully expect them to make Biscuit behave in an appropriate manner.
See where I'm going with this? There are so many people who care about Biscuit and have his well-being in mind, but ...
That woman at the science center put her hand on my baby's chest, gave him a little push and told him to go sit down. A longtime friend of mine was standing beside me, and if she hadn't been, I might have caused a scene. That woman doesn't get to lay a finger on my kid. Especially when all he was doing was trying to talk to her. I mean, she didn't shove Biscuit or anything, but she completely shut him down. And he wasn't the only kid she did that to.
The kids got to meet a turtle, a rabbit and a duck. The woman did have to get strict with one little boy about not touching the duck's mouth. That, I totally understand. But she grabbed his hand, gritted her teeth and said, "Do not touch this duck that way." Again, I'm thinking this woman hasn't had much to do with kids. The boy's mama was standing nearby. The mom had been sitting with the boy most of the time, so there was no question who he belonged to. Could the woman not have called for the boy's mama to come and pull him back?
She was snippy to some of the adults, too. I saw her hand an evaluation sheet to the birthday boy's Dad. I'm glad she wasn't handing it to me. The lecture wasn't geared toward the kids who were there. She was downright rude to some of the kids and some of the parents. Yep, she would've gotten a bad review from me.
The kids didn't seem to notice anything except the fact that they got to pet a rabbit, a duck and a turtle. And that's a good thing.
Here are some pictures:
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| The kids used stamps for an art project. |
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| We visited "the body room" at the science center. It's a large room filled with exhibits about the human body. There's some really cool stuff in there. Jeff was pulling this handle in and out to show how lungs inflate and deflate. And because of the noise the thing was making, Jeff looked over at me and said, "Luke, I am your father." He's my special boy. |
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| This was a stress test. You put your left hand on the sensor, then use your right hand to slide a ring up the twisty shape of that wire. And stress part comes when the ring touches the wire. It buzzes like the Operation board game. Of course, this didn't faze Biscuit at all. He just kept going, buzzing and all. |
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| See that circle? If you slide the top layer of it to the side and sniff, you can smell intestinal gas. |
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| And Biscuit didn't like it. |
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| "It won't go away, Mom," Biscuit said. I felt like telling him that the exhibit was a good reason to learn to read. If he had known what it was, I bet he wouldn't have sniffed it! |
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