Feelings

Katie came skipping down the hallway at lunch time and full-stopped face first into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I smiled down at the second grader and she smiled up at me. This made me feel good.

'Ms. Denice is chunky,' Katie said.

'What?'

Katie unhugged me and placed both her hands on the front of my purple D-shirt. They fit perfectly in the negative space of the giant 'D'.

'Plump,' she said matter-of-factly and smiled up at me. I did not smile back down. Katie removed her hands from my person and skipped away, as lightly and carelessly as she had come.

Usually I'm glad when the kids are excited about using their new vocabulary. Sometimes I am not.