Playgrounds

Yeva really loves going to the playground. It's not surprising. There's nothing cooler than big kids, the communal wad of different kids toys, sweet playground equipment and chances to make friends and show off your mad skills. This is all quite normal. The extraordinary, is in the inexhaustible entertainment and wealth of insight that Natasha and I have had while playing with and keeping an eye on Yeva. Playing with Yeva is fun, yeah, but... If someone were to ask where they could find an advanced class that combines parenting, sociology and psychology, I'd point them to the playground bench.

There's nothing quite like kids being themselves, and you learn so much about their families. Here are a few gems.

1)The dispelling of a myth
Two girls, sevenish
-Ok... let see, a small bag of chips costs 16 rubles, so if we get 2, that'd be 32. So you go to your mom and ask for 32 rubles.
-She won't give it to me.
-Just tell her you owe it to a friend.
-mmm...I don't know, that's lying. My mom said if I lie, my nose will grow.
-and you really believe that?
-yeah, if my mom said it it has to be true.
-listen girl, they tried to pull that one on me too, but guess what--I told a lie and nothing happened.
-Really, you lie!?
-Well, I only did it once, because it was the kind of situation where my mom woulda KILLED me if I didn't.
-hmm... well if I'm gonna take the chance, we gotta make it worth it... So a big bag costs 51 rubles, so 2 is 102. Yeah, that's more like it.
...
at about this point, Yeva created a good distraction, so we don't know how the conversation finished, but they went on talking but never went anywhere

2)Great social skills.
2 cousins that I first mistook for twin brothers, playing on the slide
-Hey, bet you can't do this. I did it yesterday, and it was awesome. You run up from the bottom of the slide like this, but fast and without holding on the edge, then when you get here, you fly off the edge like this, and land over there. check it out *does it, though 'it' isn't nearly as cool as he makes it out to be* only yesterday I did it even higher, I was like, whooooa.... booompsh.
-hmm, ok *does it*
-he, neener neener,Uncle piggy's a copy cat! (It's an annoying rhyme. for mom, повторюшка, дядя хрюшка with stress on the ю's)
*little later on some other equipment*
-hey, remember when I turned 6 and you were still just 5, and I was awesome and you sucked by comparison (not insultingly, but as though it was the highlight of human civilization and the memory should inspire all)
-uh... sort of
-yeah, remember, I could run like, pshwooom! and you were like psh psh, back there!
Then thy were met by another kid, who was by definition the coolness of cool by playground standards, and he started dominating the conversation talking about going to the aquapark, and how much the playground sucked by comparison. he's the subject of the next one.*

3) Elementary boy humor, and their annoying laugh.
a bunch of boys playing soccer. The kid playing goalie is scored on in an embarrassing way, the ball going between his legs.
-Haha, right between the NARDS! (that's our boy)
-pkHYA HYA HYA HYA HYA! (unanimously, including the one scored on.)
After about 20 repeatings of the crude phrase, the laughter actually started getting louder, which I attribute to the half of them that didn't quite know what it meant before finally figuring it out. After about 50 repeatings, it calmed down enough that most were focused on the game again, until one kid, when getting hit clearly midway down his thigh, grasped onto his crotch and yelled
-AWW, right in the NARDEENYS!
-pkHYA HYA HYA HYA HYA!! (unanimously, not with, but at him!)
If the original sounded crude, this one was just ridiculous. I guess not all boys that age have learned that you aren't supposed to address yourself in a way that goes well with "itsy bitsy, teeny weeny" yet. But what is it about body parts, and crude bodily functions that arouses such laughter from kids that age? Aside from it getting annoying, it's really surprised me to see just HOW much they go ape over any mention of farting on something, or whatever. At least it's better than what gets funny once they hit puberty.