You stuck your what to what?

It's amazing the things kids learn in kindergarten these days. AJ's already doing math and learning to read and write. He has music class and computer time and gym.

Never-the-less, there are also certain lessons as old as time that he is learning. The hard way.


For instance, AJ learned Monday why licking the metal window frame on his school bus, when the temperature is -11 degrees, isn't such a good idea. His teacher sent me an e-mail midway through the day that included:

"He had apparently stuck his tongue to the bus and it got stuck there because it was so cold out. He was ushered into the nurse's office because it was bleeding. It still is a little sore."

Out the window went my maternal instincts. All I could do was laugh. Really hard.

It wasn't until later in the evening, after hockey practice, that I had a chance to question AJ about what happened. He showed me his tongue, which really didn't show signs of damage. The conversation then went something like this.

Me: So what did you lick?

AJ: That thing that holds the window in.

Me: Did someone tell you to lick it?

AJ (looking confused): Dad asked me that too.

Me: So why did you do it?

AJ: I just didn't know it was sticky.

I guess I'm relieved to know it happened inside the bus. Based on the initial note from his teacher, I'd been envisioning him sticking his tongue to the dirty, road-salt-coated exterior of the bus, which creates all sorts of horrible scenarios when you imagine the bus starting to drive away. So compared to that, the metal window frame isn't so bad. After all, what germs can survive on metal when the temperature is in the double digits below zero?

He must get this from his father.