Now that Ben attends preschool full time, fresh memories from my early years are being unearthed. Our new afternoon routine includes my grilling him about his day, asking all kinds of questions, mostly the same ones asked before -- What did you have for lunch? Did you take a nap? Did you say your ABCs? Did you have fun? -- but often, new ones get thrown into the mix. My hounding never fails to annoy him, but I am genuinely concerned and curious and can't help myself.

Anyway, a combination of new questions the other day brought back a vivid memory. Did you sing any songs in class today? "No!" Did the teacher make you stand in the corner today? "No!" Oh yeah, that reminds me...

I think this happened in kindergarten. Our rowdy class would be ordered to be good and sit in our seats (rows of metal folding chairs) while the teacher plays the piano and we sing along. One day, either we were too rowdy or she was too grouchy, but she kind of snapped at us and said something like, "That's enough! Sit down, and don't talk between songs. The next one of you to speak out of turn will go stand in the corner!"

So we obediently sang another song or two, and then at one point the teacher announced, "Our next song will be Don Gato." To which I blurted to the girl next to me, "Oh boy, I love Don Gato!"

Ms. Teacher stood up and ordered me to go stand in the corner. Which was a great surprise, as I had never in memory been in trouble at school before. I would go so far as to say my classmates were also surprised, because I'd never been one of the boys they had previously seen sent to the corner.

Anyway, I do remember standing in that corner, looking down at my music sheet (so maybe this was a little later than kindergarten, if I was reading, right?), singing along to "Don Gato" with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Armed with this new information which was accompanied by a demonstration of what happened, Ben has taken the initiative to incorporate elements into our constant comedy routine. So if I'm being excessively annoying, Ben will order me to go stand in the corner, and I do so until he says I can leave, always after he gets in a few hardy laughs at my expense.

Say, who is parent and who is the child in this relationship?
______________

And now, proof that you can find just about anything on the Internet*.... here are the lyrics to "Don Gato":

Oh Señor Don Gato was a cat

On a high red roof Don Gato sat

He went there to read a letter,

Meow, meow, meow

Where the reading light was better,

Meow, meow, meow

'Twas a love note for Don Gato

I adore you wrote the lady cat

Who was fluffy, white and nice and fat

There was not a sweeter kitty,

Meow, meow, meow

In the country or the city,

Meow, meow, meow

And she said she'd wed Don Gato

Oh, Don Gato jumped so happily

He fell off the roof and broke his knee

Broke his ribs and all his whiskers,

Meow, meow, meow

And his little solar plexus,

Meow, meow, meow

Ay Caramba cried Don Gato

Then the doctors all came on the run

Just to see if something could be done

And they held a consultation,

Meow, meow, meow

About how to save their patient,

Meow, meow, meow

How to save Señor Don Gato

But in spite of everything they tried

Poor Señor Don Gato up and died

And it wasn't very merry,

Meow, meow, meow

Going to the cemetery,

Meow, meow, meow

For the ending of Don Gato

When the funeral passed the market square

Such a smell of fish was in the air

Though his burial was slated,

Meow, meow, meow

He became reanimated,

Meow, meow, meow

He came back to life, Don Gato

* Actually, I am having no luck in finding video evidence of the "Dusty Dusty Dusty riding Nugget Nugget Nugget" TV commercial from the 1970's... memories of which were triggered last spring upon meeting Ben's last daycare teacher, Ms. Dusty. I want to see this commercial again!