Did you have funny ideas or do dumb things as a kid that seem funny, and yet sad, now? Share your pain here.

-- Kim (fresh@fresh-hell.com), June 22, 1999

Answers

How about the time I married Joe Howden in the third grade in front of the whole class? I shiver now just thinking about it. My dress was a frickin' nightgown. If only you were there to stop me!

I think I've just depressed myself for the rest of the night.

-- Jennifer Martin (jmartin3@rochester.rr.com), June 22, 1999.

I was in fourth grade and my teacher decided that we all needed to do some stretches, etc. So we're all standing in front of our desks doing stretches, and we're doing deep knee bends and too my horrow I hear this horrible ripping sound. My pants split wide open!!! I didn't know what to do. I put my hands in fron of the rip for the rest of the exercises. Afterwards, I went up to the teachers desk and told her what happened. About an hour later, to my horror, and eighth grader, (one of my brother's friends!!!!!) came up to the class with a new pair of pants for me. Now everyone knew what happened! The teacher called me up in front of everyone and the eight grader handed me the pants. It was absolutely horrible. But I'm over it. Really.

-- Mary O'Connor (maryooo@twcny.rr.com), June 23, 1999.

This is similiar to Kim's story (see journal entry) about odd elementary school fears. At my elementary school we had a gifted program for students with IQs over a certain number. At the elementary level the program took one afternoon a week, we left our classes and went downstairs and did brain teasers and projects and such. I really enjoyed it. Anyway, I was terrible in math, yet the put me in the "high" math class. So I wasn't doing so hot in there and flunked a test and was totally terrified that they would realize I wasn't that smart and take me out of the gifted class. My teacher, who found me in hysterics...well, crying at any rate, reassured me that it would affect my standing in the honors program and my lack of mathmatical ability wasn't reflective of anything, but I have to laugh at myself now for my silly irrational fears. See Kim, you weren't the only one :)

-- Jennifer Schrager (jenn@cratos.com), June 23, 1999.

In the fourth grade a headed up a conspiracy group. It was called "PAM" or People Against Michelle. Michelle was evil and rotten, and I felt we needed a club to make sure that nobody ever befriended her. I came up with a manifesto and 12 basic rules about what you had to do to be in the club. 1. steal Michelle's pencils, 2. whenever Michelle walks by, make mooing sounds, etc. The paper fell out of my book, and my teacher found it. Needless to say, it's a good thing my name was Joanna, because a "PAJ" club just wouldn't work. I'm sure Michelle would have started one if she could have, though.

-- stasi (stasi@jps.net), June 23, 1999.

When I was in third grade, I came back to school after being out for a few days with an ear infection. My first day back, all the classes got together to watch a movie about the song 'America the Beautiful'. At the end, they played the whole song, and 90 kids joined in singing. This made my ears hurt, so I was covering them with my hands. A teacher saw me, and apparently in a patriotic fit, grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the movie. I had to go back to my own home room and sit at my desk until everyone else came back. Only *bad* kids got pulled out of movies. I was very quiet, got all A's, and *never* got into trouble. I cried all afternoon about that, especially because the teacher who pulled me out would NOT listen to my reason. Until about 2 years ago, my stomach would clench, and I would get all teary eyed every time I heard America the Beautiful. I'm better now, thanks (sniff).

Kim, I just started reading your journal, and I think it's great. Nice job!

-- belle (belledonna@xoommail.com), June 25, 1999.

WHEN I WAS IN 6TH GRADE, I MOVED FROM A BIG CITY TO A SMALL RURAL TOWN IN MICHIGAN. ALL THE POPULAR GIRLS WOULD PLAY A GAME CALLED "HORSIE" ONE GIRL WOULD SKIP AROUND THE PLAY GROUNG WITH A JUMP ROAP AROUND HER WAST AND ANOTHER GIRL WOULD "RIDE" HER HOLDING ONTO THE ENDS OF THE JUMP ROPE. I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS DISCUSTING AND SOOOO IMATURE. I BROUGHT HARLEQUINN ROMANCE BOOKS TO SCHOOL AND STARTED MY OWN CLUB. WE WOULD MEET UNDER A TREE AND TAKE TURNS READING THE DIRTY PARTS. ONE GIRL NAMED LESLEY (SHE GREW UP TO BECOME THE HOMECOMING QUEEN) WAS THE FIRST TO READ AND PRONOUNCED PENIS AS PENNIS (RHYMES WITH TENNIS). PRETTY SOON WE ALL WERE READING ABOUT HIS PENNIS. IT WASN'T UNTIL 7TH GRADE WHEN MY PARENTS GOT HBO, THAT I REALIZED "THE WORD" WASN'T PENNIS. OH THE INNOCENT DAYS OF MY YOUTH!

-- LYNN MCLEOD (LYNN.M.MCLEOD@AM.PNU.COM), August 13, 1999.

This was when I was in kindergarden. This day was very hot and there wasn't airconditioning at the school. So, when the teacher stepped out of the room for a minute, i took off all of my clothes. I remember laughing by the other kids. When she returned, i was sitting at my desk naked. She saw me and laughed. She came over, picked up my clothes, led me to the bathroom and dressed me.

-- suzanne (lakotatclown@aol.com), June 07, 2002.

When I was in the 3rd or 4th grade I was madly in love with this little boy named Marcus. I wrote him a sizzzeling love letter about marriage and kissing etc. I was playing jacks with my friends when several boys came and started taunting me about the letter. I was just crushed that he showed it to the other boys and then they all emberassed me in front of my friends. It took awhile to live that one down. linda

-- Linda Crawford (drgranny@odsy.net), November 22, 2002.