The Kindergarten Plan - As told by Grandma

I was sitting on the couch, watching Dora the Explorer for the umpteenth time, when I was distracted by Katie, who was playing school in the corner with several of her invisible friends.  They all seemed to be having a good time, although I think Starr (invisible friend number two) needs to pay more attention when getting dressed as she's got on two different socks today and I noticed Karla (invisible friend number five) didn't comb her hair yet.

Katie is playing teacher and the group is learning their letters today.  With the eraser end of a pencil, Katie taps the wall and asks the class if anyone can tell her what number this letter is.

"Katie, honey, numbers are not letters," I interrupted.

"I know, Grandma."

"Okay, it's just you asked what number the letter you were pointing to was."  I was trying to be helpful, but from the look on Katie's face, I failed.

"Grandma, you gave away the answer."

"Oops, my bad."

Katie shook her head and returned to her students while I turned my attention to the television.  Dora and Boots were skipping along singing about the wall they needed to climb next.  I'd seen them climb the wall six times already in the last three hours and made a mental note to hit Google when I got home to find the SOB who invented On Demand.  I want to find the guy so I can chain him to chair and replay the same four episodes over and over again until his eyes bleed.  My youngest grand daughter however, loves On Demand and would most likely give the guy a medal.

In a desperate attempt to bloc out "bridge, wall, tallest mountain.  Bridge, wall, tallest mountain,," sung over and over and over incessantly by Dora and Boots, I went back to ease-dropping on teacher Katie.  Although I was careful not to interrupt again, it didn't take long for her to realize she had my attention and with a stern look on her face; Katie opened our discussion with, "You know, Grandma, I'm not liking this new plan of mom and dad's."

"What plan?"

"The plan to send my to kindergarten."

I have to admit I was a little slow on the uptake, because I didn't realize the "plan" had been discussed.  "What?"

Looking rather concerned about the state of my hearing, Katie spoke slowly in her attempt to make me understand what she was saying.  "Thhheeee pllllaaaannnn tooooo seeeennnndddd meeeee to kindergarten!"

"It's not a plan, Katie; you have to go to school."

"Well I don't want too."

"It will be fun," I tried to assure her.

"No.  No it will not."

"Katie," I tried again, "everyone goes to school.  It's how you learn to read and write.  Besides it's like pre-school and you enjoy pre-school."

"No, I don't"

She is right of course.  It's a struggle almost every day to get Katie ready for pre-school; although once she is there, she has a great time and enjoys playing with her real friends.  She loves doing art and enjoys circle time, when the teacher reads to the class.  Unfortunately, once she's excitedly told us all about the fun she had at school, she goes back to insisting she doesn't like it.

"School will be fun," I stated.

"Well, I'm not going."  Katie turned her attention back to her invisible class, pointing her pencil at invisible letters on the wall.

I let the conversation end because I'm the 'grandma' and I don't have to fight with her about school.  Nope, I get to turn the chore over to mom and dad, especially since it's  their 'plan' anyway.

Grandma