The Indefatigable Culture of Kids

A few days ago, Harper was sassing me sweetly. We were joking, laughing, tickling and generally being silly, when all of the sudden, she busts out with this classic taunt:

Rosie and Mama sittin' in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

This wasn't the first time I'd been slammed by a bit of arcane playground nostalgia, but it occurred to me that I didn't teach her this, and to my knowledge it's not part of the curriculum. I hope. Which leads me to wonder where she's getting these classic jibes. Not long ago, she threw down with, "I know you are but what am I?" I was mid-sip with my morning cuppa Joe when I heard this gem, forcing me to reroute my coffee through my nose.

And then this chestnut, after a standard mom refusal, "I'll be your best friend." She's still learning the nuances of these undying pearls of elementary school lexicon. Promising eternal friendship to your mom for a piece of gum is much less effective than on the playground with her fellow six and ups. But still, I can't help but ponder how and why these phrases have been around so long; long before I was in school and here we are, thirty years later and despite better nutrition, progressive social environments and the latest technology, kids still manage to find use for the rich and perfectly intoned, "DAUUUUH, Mom!"

So how are these games, taunts and rhymes perpetuated year after year, generation after generation causing so many tears, laughter and songs? The only thing I can think is that school becomes home, but a strange home with so many different kids, from different places and different lives. And this unwritten bible of phrases is just a short hand for everyone to understand each other. Pretty effin' cool, if you think about it. The fifth graders, now professionals in oral histories, pass down what they've learned in their many years to the grades their junior, while unwitting kindergartners are quietly inducted into the secret society and infused with the inimitable importance of "Eeeny Meeny Tipa-Teeny, Ah Ba Boobalini, Itchi-Kitchi, Othci-Kotchi, Out Goes YOU!"

Just a guess really; I don't really know, but I like it when I go to pick Harp up from school - a sweaty game of tag in full swing, when several of her compatriots bum rush me and suddenly I become "Home Base." Aaaah, it's good to be young.