Kick It!

Did you used to get in trouble when you were a kid? Of course you did. At some point, some time, you HAD to have gotten into some trouble, whether you were Betty Rizzo ("Where you goin'? To flog your log?") or Mary Ingalls ("Can I please have my punishment now?"). My question for you is: how did you react? What was your style? As I see the kids come in to the library in the afternoons, I've noticed that most of them have their own specific way of reacting to the shenanigans that they've created. For example, we've got the 8th grade Mel Brooks. The reason I think of him this way is because no matter what fresh hell he's gotten himself into, he responds with "I didn't do it!" to which I want to finish with that Mel Brooks line "...I was at a friend's house! The check is in the mail!" He says this no matter how many witnesses saw him do whatever "it" is. He punched his friend in the face right as I was talking to him once. When I said "hey! don't do that!" he said, "what? I didn't do it!" It took all of my will to not laugh at this. We also have Baby Sidney Bristow. She's around 8, and sometimes she gets into some shady business and says things like "someone must have stolen my identity and done that." I love that kid too. Then there's Take-It-Like-A-Man kid, who will break the rules, but when you confront him, he nods sagely and looks at you with big serious eyes, as if he knows you are right, so right, and he is going home and doing some sort of penitent act as soon as he gets there, like no Runescape for a week or something. And then there's Junior High Smoothie, who gets into trouble but apologizes with smiles, "ma'am"s and even thanks me for my time in coming over to kick him out. That kid is growing up to be the President. I just know it.

I don't really know if kicking kids out has any effect on future behavior. I know that when I used to get kicked out of stuff, there was a little bit of pride amongst me and my friends about it. I remember practically patting ourselves on the back as we left Fuddruckers, or Showbiz, or wherever. Ha ha, look at us, we are badasses who get kicked out of places. It gave us street cred of some sort, even if we didn't really have any. Because let's face it, no one who hangs out at Showbiz has street cred (references from Kanye West songs notwithstanding). I got kicked out of 8th grade math almost every day for laughing. Yes, even then I was a giggly girl. So, out in the hall I would be sent and it didn't phase me one bit.

So every time I kick a kid out, there's a part of me that feels like the authority figure. Then there's another part of me that just feels like I am passing the torch. Go forth and be kicked out, young hooligans. Perhaps there's a future librarian in you somewhere.

Kiss the rings, I'm out.
Librarian Girl