When Every Day Feels Like Monday

I've noticed recently that there is that moment everyone has when they forget which day it is.  You know, when you wake up thinking that Friday when really it's just Tuesday or Sunday feels like Thursday.

If you haven't guessed it, this is the moment where I say 'Every day feels like Monday'.

Well...that's because it does.

The concept of weekends/days off is incredibly new to me. I worked weekends in high school, then college, because back then, I choose to, to make a bit of extra money for expenses. Too bad those expenses were not as dire as I once thought. {insert ponder bubble here as I look up forlorningly to the right}. These days, I have to work weekends just to make ends meet. I however, am not the first of my generation who has had to suffer through the weekend to pay bills {see note: TWO JOBS}. There are tons of articles about the rise of people having to work weekends and such. Anyways, back to the real point on hand....


I started babysitting again last night. And as much as I try to be uber blasé about it, I really missed March and June. I picked them up from the bus stop of their day camp, and took them for some FroYo. (Yes...I said FroYo...aka...Frozen Yogurt... like a 90s pop baby. Whatever). To which we spent all of our time laughing and talking about their trip to France and their first day at camp. Our genuine excitement about seeing each other even went so far as us making up a dance routine together where March was "breakdancing", June and I were his backup dancers, and Daddy Camera was surprised at our awesome dance skills.  The kids were also super excited to show me the souvenir they got me, which was...an Eiffel Tower keychain. You don't know this, neither did they, but I collect keychains from places I go, so it fit right in with my other keychains in my collection! (I know...I'm a nerd...but I'm ADORABLE so it's okay)


Needless to say, this excitement may not last, but who knows....o_O. Either way...Mondays don't seem too too bad (though my sleep pattern is f***ed up ROYALLY)

Language My Dear...is Everything.

"Swearing was invented as a compromise between running away and fighting."

~Peter Finley Dunne, Mr. Dooley's Opinions, 1900

Holy hell can kids curse....

Since the weather in the New York region was phenomenal this past week, I spent the beginning of this week picking March up from school and taking him to the park to burn off some impish energy. (Yes I called March an imp...and yes I am okay with that. And no you may not be...) Tuesday was no exception- we stayed in his school's play yard, with him walking around shooting a rub band gun (completely NOT my fault, though I warned him about the dangers of causing irreversible retinal damage if he wasn't careful) and myself collecting a tan. 

Anyhow, I was sitting, minding my own business- okay that was a lie I was watching BBC's Luther on my Android which is GREAT (oh Idris Elba.....*swoon*)- when I saw  some older school boys playing soccer and one was accidentally pushed to the ground in slow motion. Story goes said boy got a hand flung to the face. I know I shouldn't laugh but that was slightly amusing. What wasn't amusing was the first thing that came out of his mouth when he stared up at his friends from the ground:

"What the f*ck man?! What the f*ck?!!?!?!" -here he gestured wildly-

The only way I could react was internally thinking (though very loudly) "Aren't you ten? What f*cks do you have to give?" But it got me thinking. Dangerous I know. It got me thinking about how I've noticed more and more often that March has taken to saying "ass", "damn", "dang" and on the occasion "f*ck" and "sh*t" and laughing about it whenever I make a face. Now I've been trying to work on this with a Penny-Penalty system (the aliteration was by accident Scouts' Honor!). Whenever he says a "bad" word, he owns me a penny, and if it's really ridiculous then two pennies and so on. This system also works with rule-breaking which has been really effective. So where does a child's need to curse come from? Now coming from me who cusses like a sailor (it's ironic) but still, a serious question! I came across this amazingly well written article on Early Childhood News by Ph.D Timothy Jay about why and what causes children to curse. Very good. A bit dry, but well researched. Basically if you don't plan to read it (which I know you won't but that's okay), its main point is that children's access to so much media and surrounding environment affect how the child registers language and cursing. Kind of self-explanatory right? If you curse, they curse, etc. Though I found a really interesting counterargument on another blog/website about why this particular dad lets his son say whatever he wants. 


His argument? That words are words (which I agree...to an extent) and that if and when kids see that cursing/swearing/blaspheming as forbidden, like Eve...they will take a big ol' bite of that fruit and say "Holy Sh*t Batman, this f*cking apple tastes GREAT!" Okay so maybe not to that full extent, but you get my meaning. Now I get what Mr. Traister is saying, however...there is a certain joy that comes when you are figuring out the appropriate nature/age in which you can curse. Especially in front of your parents. My "coming of cussing age" was 19. Yes. 19. Nearly entering my third year of college. (I still don't curse in front of my dad...that...would be very bad.) 


So what does that mean when it comes to March? Well...I try not to be too "Oh goodness WHYDIDYOUSAYTHATSDMASFJDADFNASDFJ" and instead explain to him what can happen when he uses that type of language. Either way...I still get to keep the pennies he gives me :-P