#kids are great

[punkbutsoft]

I’ve started to teach kids to knit 🧶.

Sorry if format is weird, I’m typing this on my phone.

So, context; I work at a Daycare that provides Before and After School programing. Basically from 6:30 am to 9:00 am and than from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm there are children at the Daycare.

On Snow days and P.A. Days however, parents still work so the kids come to us and we take care of them until parents get off work.

The older kids at the building (9-12 years) were learning how to finger knit, which is something I don’t know how to do.

So, some of the kids (6-7 years) in my class, asked to learn, I told them I don’t know how but, I can show them how to knit with needles instead.

I didn’t really think the kids would remember but, I still brought my knitting supplies. Wouldn’t you know it but;

A brother and sister learned and then brought it home as a family activity

One of my most aggressive kids finds it very calming, he now has a scarf of his own

And 2 girls share a knitting project going back and forth working on it when the others hands get tired

In total 15 have at least tried to knit and 7/15 kids love to knit with me in the morning and afternoon. And 6/15 of those kids aren’t from my class. They saw the 6-7 year olds knitting, wanted to try, and some of them really like it.

They also have the greatest reasons to knit as well! Here’s a list of reasons to learn how to knit, as told to me for children aged 6-12:

I wanted to knit my grandma something b/c she made me something

B/c my sister/brother is learning

B/c you’re teaching

I want my own scarf

I want to make myself a blanket

I want to make my sister a blanket for her stuffie

B/c you make it look fun

So I can make my own clothes

I love being working with kids man 💜

[wolfchanw]

My toddler just got back from a sleepover at Grandma’s house….walked in the door and shouted “I MISSED you!” So I said “I missed you too baby!”

…….

“No, I was talking to the house.”

Welp.

[speakingofdoorknobs]

Small child : brings in drawing of multi-limbed creature labelled "cat" to show me

Small child: "This cat has five tails, and two of them are made of magic"

Me: "What are the others made of then?"

Small child: "Cat meat with fur on it. And magic."

[magnetothemagnificent]

I haven't medically transitioned yet so most people perceive me as a crossdressing woman, and most of the time I hate it but I have to say it's absolutely adorable when little kids think I'm the coolest person in the room for it. I'll just be wearing regular clothes and they all just look at me and want to sit next to me and want to play with me, kids are the best. Also don't believe anyone when they tell you that homophobia and transphobia is natural because most kids think crossdressing is awesome and don't have any negative feelings towards it until they're taught to hate.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

blessed yesterday by a small child info dumping on me about their favorite cartoon (after we bonded over the revelation that i can sing at least 3 land beforetime songs off the top of my head) which is about a woodpecker (who is great at everything except wrestling) while their parent squirmed uncomfortably like a worm on a hook in the background

apparently said parent, who is not the main caregiver, a friend of my sister, and stopping by for a visit while in the area, "doesn't normally let (the child) talk to them this much"

i smiled wider, continuing to ignore them while listening to the child

"Did Wally Walrus ever catch the vampire?" I asked, leaning in.

"No," the child sighed with a dismissive wave of their hand, "he's- he's um- he's bad at everything. He's only good at wrestling."

There are actual TV shows that cannot match this level of slow burn foreshadowing and exquisite pay off.

"Ah! Like the time he beat Woody Woodpecker? Poetic."

"Huh? Poetic?"

"It makes sense, and it sounds fun!"

"Yeah! And um, and- a- and one time they were- they were in Egypt and-"

i suffer the parent for the sake of the child. the child is great conversation

the parent is so clearly embarrassed by this conversation i want to lock them up in a room with a Woody Woodpecker marathon for a month

[tookishcombeferre]

Happy 8th Birthday Undertale!

It’s hard to believe Undertale turns 8 today!!

I’m going to be posting more of my fic (2 chapters) today in celebration, but I wanted to post something a little more personal on my blog.

In Summer 2022, I gave birth to a squish. Bean is incredible. I adore them.

One day in late Fall/Winter of 2022/2023 we were going on an Amma/Bean outing to just see some more of the world. I decided to play the Undertale soundtrack because I was feeling nostalgic and it was a style of music Bean hadn’t heard yet.

When I say Bean imprinted on “Death by Glamour” I mean they imprinted on that song to the point that I was allowed listen to nothing else for 72+ hours straight. If I changed the song, they would straight up banshee scream until I put it back on.

Eventually, I showed Bean MTT’s boss battle and we listened to the Man on the Internet cover of the song as well. (This was the only variation I got in listening to the same song for almost a month.)

For Bean’s six month well check, Dada and I decided to get them a plush of Mettaton mostly as a joke. We figured we’d put it in a keepsake box to give to them after they graduated high school.

Nope. They imprinted on it! Ton-ton had to go everywhere. This was to the point we felt the need to get them a second one for their birthday in case Ton-ton the original got lost or came unstuffed.

I’ve found my Bean’s bond with MTT to be kind of interesting. I’m the primary “stay at home” caregiver to Bean, but I’m an actor and writer on the side. I’m also a relatively femme-looking transmasc person. So, sometimes, seeing them holding, cuddling, and just now starting to talk to MTT like a best friend makes me kind of emotional. I see their empathy for people who are different. I see the kind of love that I’m fostering in them for my community. I have hope for the way Bean will accept me in their easy acceptance of the “KISS Doll” as my parents call him.

I’ve just moved back about 5-10 minutes away from my family after a long time running all over the country and state. That, and I just came out to all of my family this year. There’s been some good moments in that and some very painful ones.

Dada (my spouse) and I started playing Undertale around Spring of 2023. My spouse hasn’t really played the game in any significant way, but we started with True Pacifist because life is too sad to do anything else. We’re only just getting into Waterfall because, as new parents, we don’t have a lot of free time.

But, I’m looking forward to meeting Mettaton again. Because, as weird as it sounds, I feel like I owe him an apology.

When I first played the game, I wanted to kill Mettaton … so badly. I hated him because, in a way, he reminded me of me. So, I figured killing him would feel like killing the part of me that I hated. I knew I couldn’t really do anything to myself without hurting the people I loved in ways I didn’t want to - I might have been self-centered at times, but I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t just leave. But, I was playing with my friend at the time and she was very adamant about playing True Pacifist and nothing else. (I also managed to get a spoiler about what happens to Alphys if you kill Mettaton and that really put me off it because Alphys was my favorite.)

But, in many ways, I hated Mettaton in the ways I hated myself. He was merely a stand in for me.

I “ran away” from home and changed my identity.

I upset my family.

I could be over dramatic.

I had my manic moments.

I wanted fame in my writing and my performance, and I wasn’t shy (or all that humble) about sharing my big dreams (or my talents there in).

So, I look forward to meeting him again because I owe that trans masc robot an apology for hating him so much.

For, through the eyes of my child, (through no expectation or conscious thought of Bean’s own) I’ve learned to love myself all because of a silly techno song and an Etsy plush.

But, it all started with a lovely little game 8 years ago. So, thanks Toby Fox. Happy Birthday Undertale.

[jomiddlemarch]

Walking around our neighborhood, my husband and I crossed paths with a bunch of elementary school kids getting off a bus to go to an afterschool program. A boy approximately 7 years old stopped us and announced:

"When a 5 year old sees the moon in the sky during the day, they think the world is going to end."

Ah, the wisdom of the aged ;)

[intothestacks]

Adventures in Librarian-ing

This year Thursdays are Kindergarten days (like, I literally have ALL the school's Kinders coming in on the same day at different times), so I try to wear fun shirts to help with being approachable. Yesterday I wore the following shirt from Threadless:

The Kinders were suuuper excited about it.

"I like your shirt!" was a common refrain in every class.

My favourite interaction went as follows:

Kinder 1: *gasp!* It's Spider-Man!

Me: It's Spider-Cat because he's a kitty. :)

Kinder 2: Like Spider-Ham is a piggy! [from Into the Spider-Verse]

Me: That's right!

Kinder 3: Is Spider-Cat Spider-Man's cat?

Me: I don't know, but maybe! That would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it?

Kinder 3: And who's the kitty at the top?

Me: That's a kitty version of Doctor Octopus, he's a bad guy, do you know who that is?

Kinder 4: Yeah! She's a scientist who works in a lab. [probably referencing the Miles Morales version from Into the Spider-Verse]

Kinder 5: Yeah! And he's usually a bad guy but sometimes he's good.

Me: Oh, that's true, sometimes he's good.

Kinder 5: *eagerly* I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home and he's usually a bad guy, but in that movie he saves Spider-Man. All the Spider-Men.

Kinder 6: I saw a Spider-Man movie where a bad guy with a big belly hurt the Spider-Man named Peter! [Into the Spider-Verse, probably]

Me: Oh, I know who you're talking about, his name is Kingpin.

[ob-livy-ous]

Today at work two of the little kids ran straight into each other, fell over on the ground, looked over at each other in a panic both about to cry. Then one of them said we’re fine and they both got up and started running again.

[kota9282]

[lacett]

my other fanfest rando story is when katy and i were cosplaying as ryne and gaia (respectively) and waiting outside for a ride and these kids were like, “are you from fortnite??” to which we replied, “no, we’re from final fantasy xiv.” then we overheard them asking other cosplayers and then exclaiming in frustration, “why is EVERYONE from final fantasy??? are YOU from final fantasy xiv???”

[wolfchanw]

My toddler mostly befriended our last foster bunny with treats. Cakepop is too sick to have treats so I’ve been having kiddo make up her salads and sit and chat with her…but then kiddo decided that Cakepop was lonely and needed a friend. :)

Otherwise, treatment is progressing slowly but surely. I have learned that Cakepop likes her Critical Care warmer than I would have thought, and I almost shrieked with relief when I saw her pick up and nibble on a piece of hay this morning.

[raionmimi]

It was like 15 minutes before closing at this Dollar Tree I went to. Three boys, probably like 10~12, walked in with each other. They wandered around while putting laundry baskets from the cleaning aisle on their heads and telling each other “May the Fourth be with you!!!”

I was checking out with my stuff when the lady behind me told the cashier that she was picking herself up some stuff because it was her birthday

One of the boys overhead her conversation and wished her a happy birthday. Another one heard his friend and did the same. She told them she was turning 87. Then all three came over, so they could sing her Happy Birthday in the middle of the store. It was just the cutest thing 😭💕 Kids are so funny

[dachshunds-and-fondue]

I love and fear small children for their unrestricted chaotic energy. for example when my sister was a tiny person she had three imaginary friends: Kiki, Kaikai, and Princess Chomp. one day she decided that the three of them abandoned our family for Santa in the North Pole. my mom asked when they were coming back and she sat there with a straight face and proclaimed that they were simply gone forever and we would never see them again. we were shocked. I strive to live as she did and eat chicken as my world burns around me

[dennysbathroommetalband]

Kids love to jump out in front of you in store aisles like they’re a deer on a highway and your cart is a Ford F150 that’s about to find out how good it’s brakes are