27 and Loving It!

I have been in 5th and 6th grade these last few weeks of school and the kids and I have really gotten to know one another well. Today we were reading a novel and I was giving a test review. One boy was being disruptive (a usual occurence) and I asked him to stop what he was doing and please listen and write down the answers to the questions. Now I must tell you, at the time I asked him to stop, I was writing on the whiteboard and was not looking at him. Being the smartalec he was, he asked me to tell him what he was doing since I was not looking at him. I informed him I had eyes in the back of my head and then proceeded to tell him in detail what he was doing and I never turned around. All I heard was gasps! It was incredibly wonderful to listen to these gasps. I finished writing and then turned around. All the children were in awe and silent. Finally, one boy asked how to get those amazing eyes and I replied that is what happens when you become a mother. More gasps! Then this funny dialogue started that still makes me laugh, because the kids were completely serious. All the kids could not believe I had children because they thought I was only 27 years old. There was no possible way I could be older than 30 and no way I could be old enough to have children. One child asked how old my child was and I stunned them with the response I had three and they were 12, 16, and 19 yrs old. They really freaked out. You could see their heads spinning trying to do the mental math. One smart boy finally raised his hand and said, "Don't freak out Mrs. Nichols but you couldn't have a child that old. My mom has a 19 yr old and she has a wrinkled face and looks really old. You look young and pretty." (God bless this child) The conversation continued and then one girl said that I must be as old as her mom who has a 20 yr old. She is 49. I have to be that old if I have a 19 yr old, even if I have the face of a 27 yr old. Then the bell rang and they really wanted me to tell them my age. I just replied, "A woman never tells how old she is, she just enjoys who she is in the moment, and for now I love being 27!" Thanks for making my day today!