As a second-grade teacher with 15 years of experience, I’ve heard my fair share of show-and-tell stories. But one particular tale still has me chuckling to this day. It was shared by a bright and outgoing student named Erica, who brought a pillow stuffed under her sweater and a snapshot of her baby brother, Luke.
Erica proudly announced, “This is Luke, my baby brother, and I’m going to tell you about his birthday!” She explained that her parents made Luke as a symbol of their love, and her dad put a seed in her mom’s stomach. According to Erica, Luke grew inside and ate through an “umbrella cord” for nine months.
The class was already enthralled, but Erica’s animated reenactment of her mom’s labor had us all in stitches. She mimicked her mom’s groans, walked like a duck, and even demonstrated the “middle wife” – the delivery nurse – urging her mom to “push, push” and “breathe, breathe.”
As Erica recounted the dramatic birth story, she described the “bag of water” that “blew up and spilled all over the bed.” Her little hands mimed water flowing away, and she concluded with a flourish, “And then, out comes my brother!”
But the pièce de résistance was Erica’s explanation of why the middle wife spanked Luke: “For crawling up in there in the first place!” The class erupted in laughter, and I applauded louder than anyone.
That day, I learned that show-and-tell can be unpredictable and hilarious. Ever since, I’ve made sure to bring my camcorder, just in case another “Middle Wife” story comes along.
Erica’s tale remains one of the most memorable moments of my teaching career, a reminder to cherish the innocence and creativity of childhood.
