When I think of me as a child, I often think that I was pretty darn well-behaved.  But, ya know what? Yeah, not so much.

I got swats in kindergarten.  I mean, really, who does that?  All you have to do in kindergarten is play with blocks, make sparkly notes to your mom, and take naps on little rugs.  It's not that demanding.  Well, apparently, that wasn't enough for me.  I had to make it interesting.

I remember sitting at a round table with several other kids.  We were doing some sort of craft thing that involved glue and shredded bits of colored construction paper.  I don't know why, but the teacher had to leave the room and she told us all to STAY.SITTING.NO.ONE.GET.UP.UNTIL.I.GET.BACK.   Okie dokie.  Why she thought it was ok to leave a room full of 6-year-olds all alone is still a mystery.

So, as soon as she left I looked over to the kid next to me and said "dare me to drink this glue?"  The kids laughed.  They were taunting me!  They didn't think I'd do it.  Oooh, but I'd show them. The little girls gasped and the little boys stared wide-eyed as I guzzled the little bottle of Elmer's. 

I wiped my mouth all dramatic-like at the end and said "YUM!", proud of the best accomplishment of my life.  I then realized it tasted...well...like glue.  I said, "watch this!" and got up and marched myself out into the hall to get a drink of water from the fountain.  Against the teacher's wishes. The kids chattered and said 'awwwwmm' behind me as the door closed.

When I got back, the teacher was there and she glared at me.  I told her I just needed some water and informed her it was no big deal.  She then informed me that I would be getting swats for my disobedience.  Fan.Tastic.  She gave me three little swats in front of the classroom and told me to go sit back down in my seat, which I did.  And I promptly turned to the girl next to me and said, "hah! That didn't hurt!"

I was old enough to know defiance, but unfortunately wasn't old enough to know voices carried.  The teacher said, "What. Was. That??"   I shook my head like I didn't know what she was talking about.  She repeated it. "What.  Was. That?!?"  So I told her.

I got more swats.  And those DID hurt.  And I cried like a baby.  The teacher, in her act of defiance and show of power asked me "now....how about those?  Did they hurt?"  She grinned when I nodded my pouting little head.   She'd shown me.

Hey.  Whatever, man.  I got some respect from those kids.  I will always be the girl who drank glue.  Because, drinking glue and then having to go get water because it was icky and then getting swats, I mean, you can't get tougher than that. Yo.