Didn't want to. But I did it anyway.

Got a text yesterday afternoon from "Ducky".
Camp name.
She has been working this week for me so I could have time off to be with Eric.

She had a family emergency and needed the day off so she asked if I would work for her.

Well yeah. Not that I want to. I'd much rather have taken the time off. But unless there's something major going on, I will work for other people. It's just the decent thing to do. And if I need to take time off for some reason, people will remember that I worked a few shifts for them, too.

I didn't want to work because some of the kids who are at the break program this time are a handful. We had one today that we had toward the end of our summer program this year. Not a very nice kid. He's a little older than the others, and uses that to influence the little guys in a negative direction. He uses inappropriate language and says things that are just not okay. Often. When called on it, he pretends that he either did not do it or that the staff person who saw him actually *can't* see him.

"You know I can see you, right?" Sunshine said that to him twice after I arrived. More than twice before I got there. He lied to her face. And then pretended like he hadn't done anything and looked mystified when she called him on it.

He tried it once more before she left. And tried it on me after. I laughed at him. "Dude. It didn't work to pretend earlier and it's not going to work now, either. I think you need to find an activity and play by yourself for awhile. Then we'll talk."

He wanted to argue.
I won't argue.
He caught on fairly quickly.

Right after my replacement arrived, he tried it again. I had him stand there with us while I filled her in on his attitude and the inappropriate things he'd done. The kids think that we don't communicate, so they try the same stuff over and over, unfortunately. The weasels.

There weren't many children there today, so it wasn't as overwhelming as it could have been, but it is aggravating to deal with the same kids and same issues each time. Usually they're kids who attend the same program during the school year. The site director there is a sweet person and would do anything for ya, but she is not terribly observant. The kids get away with a lot. When we call them on it, they say something like, "But Erin* lets us do it!"

Stock answer?
"Do I look like Erin." It's said more as a statement than a question. Since none of us look like her.

I am looking forward to getting back to the routine of my program. The kids have very consistent rules and expectations. They're generally good about following those guidelines.

Of course, getting back to my program involves showing up at 6:15. And that means I'm going to be up at 5.

Yippee.