My eight-year old said this to the principal...

"Darn you, Katie Couric!"

Oh Lordy. I just got a call from my child's elementary-school principal.

First off, my eight-year old is like a miniature Jim Carrey. I stopped writing
down all of the hilarious things she says, after I filled a notebook.

This morning, she was snuggling with her kitty and she said, "Oh mother...he's
just wonderful and he still has that new-car smell."

Yeah. Every day is like this.

I've tried to encourage her humor, while telling her that humor has it's time and
place--and that we can't always be silly--and school is a time for learning.

My kids loved that palinaspresident site. They loved making the car drive off
of the bridge to nowhere, and they especially loved the things behind the door.
There was a picture of Palin pouring bottled water on Katie Couric--kind of water boarding
her. My kids asked me what she was doing, and I said that she was giving Katie
a drink. They didn't think it was violent. They thought it was funny. Palin
says, "Darn you Katie Couric!" as she's doing this.

Both of my children will randomly say, "Darn you Katie Couric!" around the house. The
other day, when I burned a grilled cheese, I told my daughter she would have to wait
a minute for a new one, she said, "Darn you Katie Couric!" It's a catch phrase
around our house now.

Apparently, my daughter was at recess, and the bell rang. She was on top of the jungle
gym, climbing down, when the principal said, "Hurry up Riley. Time to go inside."

She was having a tough time climbing down, and in frustration she yelled, "Darn you, Katie Couric!"

Our principal, who doesn't have my daughter's sense of humor, thought she was yelling
at him and calling him Katie Couric, so he sent her to his office for talking back.

When he called and told me that she screamed, "Darn you Katie Couric!" I about died. How
do you explain to a principal, "Oh no...it's ok, this is a quote from a Web site, where
Sarah Palin is shown water boarding Katie Couric. It's all in fun. The other day when I burnt
her grilled cheese, she screamed it to me too. It's all good."

That probably wouldn't go over too well.

After my daughter explained to me what happened, the principal got on the phone and I told him that,
"Darn you Katie Couric" was from a joke on the Internet, and that this phrase had taken on
a life of it's own in our house--and that my kids often say it when something disappointing
happens. And in this case, she was frustrated that she couldn't get down from the jungle gym
as fast as she wanted. I told him that it wouldn't happen again, and that I would further
talk with her when she came home from school.

Case closed. Riley apologized and she was released from the principal's office.

I guess when parenthood intersects with politics, Palin and my child's principal--something
unusual or challenging is bound to happen.

I think our kids are bird of a feather.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2481546

(oops. meant to reply to the OP.)

"Get off me, I reckon!" Your son captured the very essence of George Bush. That's hilarious!

That's pretty creative and intuitive of him!

What a hilarious cartoon. I take it that you had it laminated and are keeping it forever?!

I think our kids would be very good friends if they knew each other! :)

Thanks for sharing your story.

you should tell her to turn the TV off.
























On edit:

for the not so bright;

:sarcasm:

is like diagnosing someone via video tape.

She's parenting her child and you didn't even read the op right?

:sarcasm:

Uh, nowhere. Imagine that.

It would appear you didn't have proper parenting. (How fair is that comment? From one post I can determine that your folks failed, what type of parents they were.)

She saw this on the computer. Not the tv.

My kids get one hour of "screen time" a day--computer and tv combined. And I enforce that
like a drill sergeant.

Since you're criticizing my parenting and my children--I'll tell you that we have a schedule.
When they get home from school, they have a snack and we sit at the table. We read and study
for one hour. We read to each other, and we practice math problems.

Then, they have free time until dinner.

I'm not a perfect parent, but I do try.

:rofl:

n/t.

and please try to use :sarcasm:

How do you know what kind of mother she is? Please don't pass judgment.

You and your daughter are two of them.

Well done.

In other circumstances, authority figures
and caretakers would be going down the
testing, labeling, and drugging path.

...because we encourage our daughters to be themselves. They are taught to be
respectful and to behave at school---but we allow them to be silly and to
appreciate themselves.

Schools seem to want to create a homogeneous gaggle of students who show
no deviance from their "norm." And like you said, if they notice a child
who behaves differently--they want to test, and suggest some kind of correction.

So far, my children's teachers do not seem to subscribe to that theory. They
seem to appreciate differences and often talk about how many children "are
just wired differently."

I can't imagine having a spirited or gregarious child--and school officials
wanting to change and even drug the child. It's the stuff of nightmares.

She sounds like she's a handful.

If she wasn't addressing the principal, why would it be bad if she says it?

It's different if she's wagging a finger in the Principal's face or something, but to use it simply as an expression of frustration should be perfectly acceptable at any time.

I'd rather my kid say that than some of the things I say when I'm frustrated. :blush:

...was that he thought she was calling HIM "Katie Couric" and yelling "Darn you"
at him.

This guy really--has no sense of humor, and it not a good principal. He yells
at the kids all of the time. Basically he's a jerk.

Just to give you an example, one of the bathrooms at school had repeated damage
in it. Frustrated, this principal got on the loud speaker and told the entire
school (K-5) that the police came and took fingerprints from the bathroom and that
when the results came back, the guilty parties would go to jail--if they didn't
come forward now.

Nice, huh?

This is what I'm dealing with.

In days gone by, this was another phrase that the school officials never quite "got".

Your girl sounds like a delight. Here's to hoping you have a future George Carlin on your hands.

:hi:

I have a daughter who I often think to myself "one day she will be ENORMOUSLY successful" which is code for "oh my, she can drive me absolutely BATTY!!!!" but what a wonderful spirit she has. Your girl has a wonderful sense of humor and she obviously got it from you, cherish it and don't listen to a word of criticism about it.

I think that is a great story and one day she will want to hear about it. Don't forget to record it.

at random although hilarious moments. Great story!

If he said yes then She might have been calling him Katie Couric.

sounds like a lot of fun. She might grow up to be a great comedian.

Oh, and the principal was wearing a McCain 2008 rhinestone pin and a McCain T-shirt. That was an interesting look I got. :D

"You can't hide from me, Gotcha Media!"

him Duddly Doright?

If she took her sweet time and refused to get off the jungle gym in a timely fashion then he'd have something to to speak to you about, ie she needs to get to class on time, and if that means changing her jungle gym timing then that's what she needs to do.

But it sounds instead as if his own mis-perception about the Katie Couric comment escalated into a power struggle between him and an 8 year old. That's not a good sign, and if I were you I'd see if it's an anomaly or a reoccurring theme.

^The fact she needed to apologize suggests to me that the principle doesn't believe your explanation and thinks your daughter was insulting him by calling him Katie Couric. His feelings are still hurt somehow, and that's a little weird. He thought it was worth the time and effort.

Unless her intent was to be insulting and cover it up with humor. In which case then he didn't really make the point clearly.


Maybe he's a Palin fan and takes it personal? I don't know but it sure seems like a waste of time and energy that could have been solved before it started with a little communication. How late to class was she after all that? He must be way behind on a lot of stuff.

...really is a bad guy.

He has been the painful topic of conversations between my husband and I--because
as my husband says, "Our children are in an imperfect system and we just have to
teach them about how to best deal with imperfect systems."

We're trying. We really are.

This is a principal who berates kindergartners who don't eat everything on their lunch tray. He
randomly shows up in the lunch room and demands that the kids eat everything--and then punishes
some of them by making them sit in the cafeteria and miss recess.

I mentioned in a previous post that this principal got on the loud speaker and announced that
the police were going to jail all students who damaged a bathroom--because the police took
fingerprints and would find out who did it.

He's always out in pick-up area--yelling at kids who don't get into their cars fast enough--when
the parents pick them up.

In my opinion, this man has very, very serious psychological issues. I'm learning--as a parent and
as a human being--how to handle this. Fortunately, my children tell me about these things and
we're able to calmly have a discussion about it.

I tell them that they must follow the rules at school, but I also tell them that mommy and daddy
do not agree with many of the principal's choices. It's like walking a tightrope, for sure.

challenging in some ways. They (all three) seem to get along very well with everyone and then one day they all came home complaining about their new bus driver. He sounds a bit arbitrary and quick to jump to conclusions. The neighbor kids were complaining as well.

But they spend little time on the bus and I've met him numerous times and he seems OK. He's got kind of a cranky style. I tell them, "lay low." My youngest has had the worst time. He's had to sit in the front bus seat (instead of with pals) a couple of times in the last year for what he feels were another kids crimes. But it's not ongoing and persistent. And my son's not missing class. They wish they had a different bus driver but they will live. It's just funny, because they have gotten along very well with all their other drivers.

I would document the various strange behaviors of your principle and consider going to the superintendent or the school board. What do other parents at your school say?

It's like something out of the Cain Mutiny. "She said I was a girl, a Katie Curick! I don't have to take that from any kid. 'Cause I'm NOT a girl, see!"

Or something equally weird. It's a good thing I'm not there setting a bad example for your daughter, at any rate. :)

For you and your daughter: :applause: :rofl:

Good on you and your kidlet. You sound like an excellent mom, and your daughter sounds like a future comedy star! Yay!

Principal sounds like a douche. Our elementary school principal is the same. I don't think MG Jr. is going to get into trouble with him because Jr. is very shy, but still, I know douchebaggery when I see it.

Eight is just about the right age for kids to start to think about how grown-ups will react before they say something.

Her 12 year old is one of those nerds always quoting things he heard on television, in music, wherever. I'm sure he will have all the words to every Monty Python movie remembered by heart before he ever dons a Star Wars costume and walks into his first Science Fiction Convention.

And, of course, he often uses the wrong, even insulting, phrase at the wrong time.

Yes, he needs to learn when and where it is appropriate. But my ex-wife and her mother fail to recognize it for what it is: quoting a movie/etc. Possibly because the quotes are usually from sources with which they are unfamiliar.

He got hooked on reruns of the George Lopez sitcom the last few months. Since neither of the women in his household can stand sitcoms, he watches them alone. When I learned he was into it, I started watching them from time to time so I have some idea what he's talking about. And sure enough I started seeing the latest "why does he say these horrible things to us" being said by the Lopez kids to the show's evil grandmother. So he's wondering why they aren't laughing along with him while they think they are raising Damien from the Omen (because that is the sort of thing they *do* like watching).

{sigh}

the more inocuous and innocent, "In what respect, Charlie?"

This was a very funny story and I'm glad to see that a little girl as funny as her had a Mom that appreciates and won't stifle or shame her for her talents...making people laugh is a special gift.

Riley. I HATE that if you color outside the lines you are beaten down by our "educational" system. Please continue to let her be herself and never squash her individuality.

:grouphug:

I missed that! :rofl: "Darn you Katie Couric". Great story - thanks! :hi:

I only hope to have kids half as hilarious as that someday.