Things I've learned spending lots of time with grade schoolers:

Friday was the first & second grade field trip and today was field day for the entire school (kindergarten to eight grade). I helped out with both. I learned a lot!

• My niece loves me. As soon as I got on the bus, Niece T started shouting, "FarmWife, FarmWife, sit with me & Darcy!" She told me 4 or 5 times that she wanted to be in my group, but since I was a first grade chaperon & she's in second grade, I didn't think that would happen. When her group was paired with mine for the first half of the day, she was over the moon! I don't get to spend a great deal of time with her, so it was a really fun day.
  
• I'm not old. There was a discussion among a group of the first & second grade girls about it. They all agreed I was not at all old. Then one informed me I wasn't quite as old as her granny. Then she told me her granny is almost 90. It was fun while it lasted.
• If you're a fun chaperon, you get to ride the elevator up & down with the little girl on crutches while everyone else has to tromp up the stairs. It was the same girl who's Granny is a bit older than I am.
• First & Second graders stuck on a bus for an hour are L.O.U.D.
• If you use your "big voice," little boys who've been ignoring your requests, suddenly sit up & listen. Especially when, up until that point, you've been the "fun chaperon."
• First & Second graders do not care that Alonzo Fields was the Chief Butler at the White house for 4 presidents including FDR. And they really don't want to look at letters he wrote, telegrams sent to him by presidents, or notes he wrote while taking care of the big house.
• Washing red long underwear on a wash board is great fun...when it's just for pretend. Making butter is great fun...when it's just for pretend. Grinding corn with a hand grinder is great fun....when it's just for pretend.
• If 8th grade boys would wear pants that fit, they could run faster than 1st grade girls.
• Getting hit in the chest with a water balloon launched from 50 yards away hurts. Bad. And will get the water balloon portion of the day shut down pretty quickly.
• Children who will not run at home for love nor money, will run pointless laps around a play ground at the slightest suggestion.
• Sitting down on a concrete wall will make you a random 5 year old girl's best friend for the next 20 minutes. Said girl may even lavish you with many hugs 'round the knees while asking you 8,000 questions about your own children (who she does not know). The same thing can happen a few hours later when you sit down next to a little boy on a bench.
• Holding a new born can still make me all squishy inside, but being able to hand him back to his mama while he's still happy, well fed, and dry, is a great thing!
• Turning 34 does not make you immune to teachers giving you birthday spankings.