just because

This afternoon I was in the kitchen talking with my hubby when my cell phone rings.  That rarely happens so I was surprised.  Then worried when the caller id showed that it was the kids' school.  It was 4:30 and the kids would be home in the next 15 minutes or so.  The secretary asked me if I was going to pick Kenan up from school.  "Noooo, I'm not."  I said.  I was expecting him to be on the bus.  "Well Kenan said you were going to pick him up this afternoon, so he's waiting in the office for you."  "I"ll be right there" I said.

Turns out that Kenan had a substitute teacher and spun this wild tale (that she believed, without a note!) about how I apparently told him this morning that I would pick him up after school.  That never happened. I get to the office and see Kenan sitting at a table working on his math homework, with the gym teacher and another staff member chatting.  He smiled at me and said, "I'm doing my homework!"  "That's great!", I replied.  "But next time I'll send a note if I will pick you up."  He looked at me and said, "you will?"  The teacher said Kenan told them a great story about how I told him I would pick him up from school.  I told them that Kenan is quite the story teller and they just laughed.  It was a mix of goshhe'ssocute and Ican'tbelieveIwasfooledbya5yearold laugh.

When we got in the car and were on our way, I asked Kenan why he told the teacher that I would pick him up.  He said, "I never tried the pick-up line before." Naturally.   The gym teacher did say that this little story only worked because it was a sub who didn't know better.  Usually the policy is no stories, only notes.

Since Kenan likes getting rides to and from school, I've decided that this might be a great incentive for his behavior at home and on the bus.  If he can get 10 bonus discs for not screaming and for being good on the bus, then he can earn a ride to school and/or a ride home (with a note of course).