Ethan started another year of pre-school today.  But it was big boy's pre-school this time around.  The final heave-ho for my December-just-missed-the-cut-off-baby before he makes the final ascent into kindergarten.

I tried to make it abundantly clear to him that behavior was going to be big emphasis this year.  The kid can already read (are you paying attention Mr. Superintendent of schools who decides the cut-off is a hard and fast rule???) so, there's not much left to perfect except...um...behavior, I guess. 

At any rate, he's got a great teacher and she has some great rules on behavior.  She communicated them so perfectly to my son, that when I picked him up today he repeated them verbatim from the sheet she handed me in the morning.  He listed all the consequences of bad behavior up and until the final consequence of being sent to the Principal's office.

To which he than adds, "And I think I have to stay there all day and night because the teacher made it sound like a horrible place.  Right Mommy?"

"That's right, honey.  All day and all night without any food or water."  What?  I thought it'd be funny.  My boy usually knows when I'm joking so I left it at that and we moved on.

A couple of hours later, Daddy called and asked Ethan how his first day went.  Ethan proceeded to tell Daddy (on speakerphone) all about the rules and then ended, very dramatically, "And I'll be sent to the Principal's office to sit and suffer all day long without any food or water."

"Wh-wh-what?"  His Daddy asked.  "Um, honey (talking to me now), are his teachers allowed to do that?" 

Well, I have to get my entertainment somewhere.