[random] Adventures in arts and crafts

So, the other evening The Boy was working on a school project with his mom while I cooked dinner. He's got this amazingly annoying art thing going on - and you'll probably need some backstory here. You see, The Boy is in one of two full-time K classrooms at his school; the (need-based) tuition we pay covers the extra 1/2 FTE that gives his school 2 full-time K teachers. It also pays for a 3rd part-time teacher who regularly takes up to 1/3 of the kids from each room for more intensive, hands-on enrichment stuff. This 3rd teacher is pregnant and will be taking maternity leave soonish, so the kids are working on a 'thank you'/'happy baby' project. Whew. Back to the story. How is it annoying? I hate to say it, but a bunch of affluent, overly-involved, stay-at-home moms who are at wits ends now that their kids are in full-day kindergarten have Shanghaied this thing and turned what could have been a simple 'thank you' into the 6-yr-old scrapbook version of the Book of Kells or the Bayeaux Tapestry. It's turned into a major pain in the arse, and I've kept my distance on purpose... If I was involved in the day-to-day email exchanges about The Project, I'd have torn off someone's head and shat down their neck by this point. I think it's probably better for everyone this way. So, I'm cooking, and they're working, and all of a sudden I hear The Boy's voice pipe up cheerfully. "Well, that doesn't suck!" Momentary pause. "No, I suppose it doesn't. But I wouldn't get into the habit of using that at school unless you want to spend more time in [the Vice Principal]'s office." (still quite cheerful) "Okay. I knew that." There's some more rummaging and fidgeting as things are cleaned up prior to setting the table for dinner. The Boy, once more, cheerful as before: "It still doesn't suck, does it?" No. No, it doesn't.