Elvis' pelvis

Last Friday when I was singing with Kieran's second-grade class, we did the song "Down by the Bay." Perhaps naively, I allowed the kids to throw out suggestions for verses (you know..."have you ever seen a bat kissing a rat" sort of thing).

Some of them didn't quite get the rhyming thing, or the subject-verb-object thing (have you ever seen a telephone being a telephone, etc.)...but one verse definitely stood out.

One little girl offered "have you ever seen Elvis patting his pelvis?" The teacher and I both looked at each other, surprised, but we went ahead and sang it. I figured it was easier to just plow through than explain why we couldn't sing it. (Of course, shaking his pelvis or thrusting his pelvis would have been more appropro!)

Mike saw the mom of this little girl at a birthday party on Sunday, and he shared this anecdote with her. Apparently she knew that the pelvis was a part of the body, but she didn't really know what it was. The mom suggested that maybe next time she shouldn't use words if she is not sure of their meaning. Tactful approach; wise mom.

At dinner this evening Kieran informed us that this little girl likes to kiss him on the mouth (and slug him), much to his disgust (the kissing part). So maybe she is wiser than she lets on!

It certainly made for an unforgettable morning at the elementary school. And next time we sing the song, we will use verses we've vetted in advance.