Some things more important than the right to bear arms

Some suggestions to consider

• The right to suddenly not like string cheese even though it’s been your favorite school snack for three months

• The right to refuse to wear any other shoes but the very dirty velcro sneakers with “just a little green stripe” on them

• The right to refuse to share any blue Magna-Tiles with Ella unless Ella shares red Magna-Tiles with you

• The right to call your teacher “Mrs. Yellow” because she’s wearing a yellow shirt.

• The right to sit on the side of the room in gym because you are feeling a little nauseous from eating all of Liam’s fig newtons in exchange for your string cheese

• The right to zone out during “Caps for Sale” because you already read it every night at home four times in a row

• The right to ask your teacher to hold your hand on the way to the bathroom because you had a dream you got lost and you don’t want to get lost

• The right to paint a face with no nose so that it never has to smell anything stinky

• The right to quietly paint one of your palms green

• The right to wait your turn nicely to wash paint off your hands and marvel as you watch the water in the sink turn green

• The right to draw a giant, oblong chalk circle on the blacktop and declare “This is a poop.”

• The right to start a chain reaction of kids drawing circles and chanting “Poop! Poop! Poop!”

• The right to sit quietly inside until you stop laughing and calm down.

• The right to nap holding Liam’s bear and Liam naps holding your bunny

• The right to put your jacket and hat on a little early just in case your mom comes to pick you up early

• The right to move a chair to the door when no one is looking to peek outside the little window to see if your mom is there

• The right to pace around a little when you wait for your mom, then kill time by lining up the books on the bookshelf in size order.

• The right to ask your teacher if she could get more “medium books.”

• The right to drop the books on the floor when you see your mom.

• The right to run right into her chest and almost knock her over.

• The right to be kissed and kissed and sniffed and hugged.

• The right to say “I found you!”

• The right to say “I missed you so much!”

• The right to say “I drew a poop.”