Gotta Get You A Edumacation

Long time ago and far away....

The Commander was, I believe, in 7th grade. Skinny little kid, big serious eyes.

We're going into town and he starts to repeat this joke he heard at school.  See mom...

There were these three ducks. They were in the pond in the park and a police man arrested them.

They went to court. The first one went before the judge. Judge says, "What's your name."

First duck says, "Duck."

Judge looks at him...then asks what he was doing to get arrested. Duck says he was just swimming around the pond blowing bubbles.

Judge is a little confused about why the duck is in his courtroom.

Judge then calls the second duck up and asks, "What's your name."

Second ducks says, "Duck Duck."

Judge quirks an eyebrow, then asks what he was doing to get arrested. 2nd duck replies that he too was just swimming around the pond, blowing bubbles.

???

So the judge calls the third and final duck up. Asks his name and says, "No wait, let me guess, you're Duck Duck Duck, right?"

The little duck blushes, looks at his tiny webbed feet and shyly says, "No...my name is Bubbles."

You know when you start to laugh, stifle it and just end up snorting? The young Commander was watching my face, checking my reaction and starts laughing. Pauses, then, in all seriousness, confesses, "Mom, I don't get it."

Ummm.

So we get to have a little discussion. Gotta love these 'teaching moments'.

A couple of years ago it was time for The Youngest to have his turn. Came home with questions after listening to his middle school classmates and their raging hormones. Again I got to have a little heart to heart. Bubbles rears his head... a lot of the jokes that you can't tell in church are down right useful as conversation starters and especially valuable as a sensitive, newly minted teenager finds out that his big brother, (who's famous for being cool and 'all that and a bag of chips') had the same questions - at the same time - at the same age.

Last nite, the Youngest, who is now a sophomore, comes home after taping a volleyball match. Someone got a hold of some helium filled balloons and a hysterical comedy routine with wacky voices followed. It didn't take long for the subject matter to go south and The Youngest noted he "learned" quite a bit...

I'm grateful for the school system, still -  this incident gives new meaning to continued education.

And apparently, Ol' Bubbles is lookin' pretty tame.
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