We're all lucky children are small.

Perks · Jan 10, 2015

I've always been bewildered by the romanticizing of childhood. Innocence. Bah! Much of my parenting style is founded on, "Please, grow an inhibition and a conscience, then get back to me."

Yikes.

...a Genesee Count school district is investigating a plot by three fourth-grade girls to harm their teacher by spreading hand sanitizer on items in the classroom. The teacher reportedly is highly allergic to the sanitizer... because they felt the teacher had been mean to them or had yelled at them.

Devil Ledbetter · Jan 10, 2015

Yes, that whole "Children are naturally peaceful" notion was invented by someone who'd never witnessed two toddlers squabbling over a toy.

But by 4th grade, I'm confident those girls understood what they were doing was very wrong.

Perks · Jan 10, 2015

Yeah, I'm very glad the other student told someone what they were planning. I don't know anything about hand sanitizer allergy, but I'm very glad that teacher didn't have to suffer the effects of their plot.

Alessandra Kelley · Jan 10, 2015

I blame the Victorians. Although the cult of childhood innocence actually dates to the late Enlightenment, it was the Victorians who codified it into a fetish.

Channy · Jan 10, 2015

Fourth grade? Bah. By Kindergarten, children are little brats who always ostrasize the disabled/coloured/fat folk and totally know what they're doing is wrong. Just a simple "I don't think them/they're different."

BenPanced · Jan 10, 2015

Channy said:
Fourth grade? Bah. By Kindergarten, children are little brats who always ostrasize the disabled/coloured/fat folk and totally know what they're doing is wrong. Just a simple "I don't think them/they're different."

Exactly. It's around that time, they're forming their own microsocieties and not letting other kids into their cliques for one reason or another ("she's a girl and she stinks!" "he's a boy and he eats toothpaste!" "grown-ups are stoopid!")

We're all lucky children are small.

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

Channy

Me Gusta

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)