Some thoughts before I go on.

Basically, my day as recess "Duty" goes well. The kids are really good kids. The school is located in a good neighborhood. There is quite a bit of parental involvement. The teachers and staff are top notch, in my book.

Yet, even though Westland Elementary is known as a "School of Excellence" and the kids test fairly well on a national level, they are kids. And, being a mother with two boys, along with having lots of friends who have kids, I have learned that there is a certain trait to kids that is universal. Their brains are not fully developed yet!!! There are many elements of life they just have NO CLUE about. We, as adults, need to help guide, teach, encourage and discipline them through this crazy thing called adolescence. And I do mean "discipline!" Not spanking or beatings (although tempting) but teaching them consequences for their actions. I find this last lesson alludes most kids (and some parents) and must be painstakingly repeated.

Teachers, school staff, and, yes, us "Duties" can only do so much to help your kids navigate life. Speaking for myself, I love helping kids learn about sharing, kindness and the consequences of doing cartwheels downhill. That being said, I do believe we, as a society, need to be more aware of what's going on in the playground. That means asking specific questions about their day. "Who did you play with during recess?" "What did you play?" "Did you play fairly and kindly?" "What did you eat for lunch?" "Did you have any fruit or veggies?" "Were you sent to the office for any reason?" "Did you have any injuries today?" "Did you cause anyone to have injuries today?" "Did you check lost and found for that hat you lost last year?"....you know, questions like that... And, yes, ask them about their lessons and homework, duh.

Ok, thank you for letting me get that off my chest. Now to the good stuff. The things kids do on the playground. Just a warning...you might read about some situations where you might be saying to yourself, "Hey, that happened in my business meeting the other day?" And you'd be right. There are some fundamental principles that we never outgrow (well, at least some of us).