classroom antics

today during my primary 6 english lesson, a student asked this really weird-cum-interesting question:

"cher, (what did you expect? mr. kishan?) how to know if you are matured?"

i laughed at first and then looked at him questioningly. let me first tell you that this interesting little query came almost immediately after talking about relationships à la b.g.r. naturally i surmised that he had probably overheard the fairer sex talk about maturity or he had heard from somewhere (gal friends? media? books?) that gals like mature men/boys.

i was totally tickled by his innocence. i replied that there was no way of testing maturity, but that it should kick in with age. i gave all that overused mambo jumbo about how gals usually mature faster than guys and that usually one can tell if someone is mature through actions and conversation.

i didnt really know what else to say but i was just smiling from ear to ear as i said it.

it's really amazing how this kids can just blindside you with their innocence. you stumble as you search for the answer and realise that you never really thought about it because you took it for granted. then you end up spouting rubbish that seems to be taken out from some ancient c.m.e. text, or worse, you might end up sounding like your parents.

as precarious as innocence can be in a classroom, i have to admit that it's damn cute.