Kids And Squids

(My step-sister is teaching a kindergarten German class once a week, and I volunteer to help her. Note: our mothers are a couple.)

Sister: “Today we’re going to learn the German words for family members. [Student], why don’t you go and draw der Vater (the father) on the board?”

Student: “I can’t draw the father. I can only draw squid.”

(My sister and I exchange glances.)

Sister: “All right, you can draw a squid.”

(After all the children are finished drawing, we point to each drawing and have the students name them in German. Somehow, even though all the drawings look like random scribbles to me, the children know what each other’s drawings are — until we get to the squid.)

Student #2: “What’s that?”

(My sister and I realize we have an unprecedented opportunity to teach the children more than German.)

Me: “That’s a squid. You see, some families have a mother and a father.”

Students: *nod*

Sister: “…and some families have two mothers, or two fathers.”

Students: *nod*

Me: “And some families have squid!”

(And they just accepted everything we told them!)