The "Middle Wife" by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher
I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two
kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw
in my own second grade classroom a few years back.
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have
a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over
shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids
bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they
catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries
or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and
talk about it,they're welcome.
Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing
kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class
with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. "This is Luke, my
baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday."
"First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love,
and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew
in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."
She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm
trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me.
The kids are watching her in amazement.
"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and
going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh,Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and
groans.
"She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!'
(Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)
"My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she
doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They
got my Mom to lie down in bed like this." (Then Erica lies down
with her back against the wall.)
"And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in
there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all
over the bed, like psshhheew!" (This kid has her legs spread
with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)
"Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe,
breathe.They started counting, but never even got past ten.
Then, all of a sudden,out comes my brother. He was covered
in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center,
(placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there."
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to
her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then,
when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case
another "Middle Wife" comes along.
Now you have two choices...laugh and close this page or pass
this along to someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I
did!!!
Live every day as if it is your LAST chance to make someone happy!
Subject: The Middle Wife... 
Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:22 am
