Out of the mouths of babes

All teachers have experienced that moment when a child says something that leaves them speechless. Sometimes it is a well observed comment pointing out just how old you are compared to them or how squidgy your belly is (which is what primary school children are looking at when you are both standing). Occasionally it's something that is just very sweet, like, "Miss, you are so pretty," although, for some strange reason this has never happened to me. Sometimes they will absent mindedly call you "Nanny" or "Grandad", which can make you feel ancient. They will always notice (and point out) your senile moment mistakes, "Miss, you've got your cardigan on inside out!"

This week, however, has left me speechless too many times and I'm beginning to get a bit paranoid. 

The first incident came during Open Afternoon. A child came bouncing in with his Grandma and gleefully told me that three younger children had greeted his grandmother as me. She is a very nice elegant woman but she must be at least 15 years older than me. I may have been able to find words if I hadn't overheard her complaining, "I don't look anything like that woman." This happened after a class thought that the IT man, who was fixing my computer, was my son. I wouldn't like to say how old the man is but I'm sure I'm not old enough to be his mother. 

These older children just aged me by association. The younger children just come right out and tell it like it is. Wide-eyed and excited they say, "Wow, you're old and you still know loads about Chinese music!"

Still, it hasn't been all bad. When describing the instruments we were about to use, one of the children said, "oh, You've got big bangers!"

It's always nice to be appreciated, even if it takes five minutes to be composed enough to speak again.