Practical Pants

“What was that sound?”

Fernybunch hoped no one would notice, but because preschoolers have hawk eyes and rabbit ears, it did not go unnoticed.

“My pants ripped", Ms. Fernybunch mumbled.

“That’s funny,” as giggles rang all around.

It was easy to amuse children ages 3-6 . Ms Fernybunch had never been able to deliver a joke effectively, but she was considered hilarious by her students. Then again, it didn’t take much to make them laugh. Their tendency was mostly toward joy, delight, laughter and amusement of all kinds.

Getting dressed in the morning was filled with conflict for Fernybunch. Comfort or cute? Practical or professional? Parents most days came to school looking like something out of a magazine, but clothes however, were a conundrum for Fernybunch.

Forest, mud, farm animals, garden work, not to mention the liquids that came with working with children in general. No, her clothes needed to be durable, practical and not too cherished.

She had come to view clothes as tools, not fashion statements. Ms. Fernybunch’s clothing had to be useful and accomplish the task at hand. Like tools in a toolbox, her clothing had a different function for her school days:

Bending

Crawling

Jumping

Rolling

Stretching

Squatting

Not too tight

Not too loose

Not too low

Not too high

Not too hot

Not too cold

Never forgetting the importance of deep pockets...

It is every woman’s yearning to look attractive, but experience had taught Fernybunch that that yearning could only be fulfilled after 3:00 pm.

Even a quality tool can be overworked and wear out. Although Ms. Fernybunch’s practical pants had reached the end of their service, they were able to give one last gift, a good laugh!

What I am must make you forget what I wear.-Henry David Thoreau