Soccer night. Two kids on two different teams playing at two different fields. I have enough equipment to load down a trio of Sherpas. My husband is at a meeting and, as usual, I’m barely coping in my attempt to get everything and everyone out the door. I send Vivian and William outside while I gather the last of the gear, which includes my mitts and sunglasses (nothing says soccer season in Canada like contrasting accessories).

The door slams behind me. I notice Vivian and William collecting rocks on the side of our driveway.

I load the last of the stuff and walk around to open William’s side of the van.

I see this writing:

"William" (with sad face above)

“Did you use a rock to write on the van?” I say. Sometimes you have to ask the obvious.

Vivian looks at me. I can tell she’s stalling. “I’ll just crawl in William’s side,” she says.

“You didn’t write—“ I interrupt myself. “Did you carve things too?”

I walk over to the other side.

I see this.

"Vivian only" (with scratches on the left, where she was trying to get the rock to work properly)

And this.

"on behalf of my class" (yes, she's composing dedications)

My kids know by my speechlessness that they’ve done wrong.

I rub my index finger across one of the gorges. “This won’t come off,” I say. “Ever.”

I hear choruses of “I’m sorry” and “We didn’t know.”

And I think: Freaking stuff kids write.

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AND THE WINNER IS…

Wendy M of Herding Cats in Hammond River is the random winner of last week’s giveaway, a Starbuck’s gift card. Thanks, Wendy, for sending us some hilarious stuff kids write. It will be featured in an upcoming post.

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Thanks to all who’ve sent us photos of funny writing by your kids (or from when you were young). We’ll let you know when we run it!

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If you have any stuff kids write, please consider submitting it to us. See the sidebar for more information.