Help wanted

The kids celebrated 100 days of school this week, which means I marked 100 days as a recess duty guard. Yes, I spend an hour-and-a-half every school day monitoring the playground. My job description, according to Aiden:

"You get paid to make kids cry."

Not really what I'm shooting for, but if that's the job description, I am succeeding with flying colors.

The irony is that many of those same kids end up being my recess buddies. I like to think it's cause they know I only discipline them because I care about them. More likely it's cause they want to point out all the other kids who are being naughty.

While the job doesn't exactly fulfill all my hopes and dreams, it has its perks. For example:

• I get to see my own kids and give them hugs every day. Their friends say they wish their moms were duty guards.
• I work with a couple of the best women ever
• I have little friends who seek me out daily
• I don't have a vitamin D deficiency
• I get some extra exercise 
• I have a whistle and a bag full of band-aids
• I'm honorary "grandma penguin" - why I have to be the grandma, I just don't know - and get to lead penguin conga lines
• I get invited to things like ballroom and story-telling competitions
• I get to wear a florescent orange vest...well, maybe that's not a perk
• I am serenaded with "Frozen" songs
• I can tie wet shoelaces when my fingers are icicles
• Kids tell me stories, share their successes, trust that I will help them, wave to me, give me hugs
• I see little friends around town and hear them whisper, "That's the duty guard."

That's me...