00:00:01 - Jenny GK
Well, there's nothing I can do. I only want to be with Tuesday.

00:00:08 - Caitlin Kindred
I had just the tiniest bit of coffee still in my throat.

00:00:11 - Jenny GK
Sorry, sorry, sorry.

00:00:14 - Caitlin Kindred
Didn't you want to hear me sniffle and cough into the microphone, everyone?

00:00:18 - Jenny GK
I'm sure you do.

00:00:20 - Caitlin Kindred
I love Tuesday.

00:00:21 - Jenny GK
Thanks for coming.

00:00:22 - Caitlin Kindred
We're so glad you're here. Now that the school year is in full swing, at this point, for all of us, we're talking about how parents can address a concern with their child's teacher. So stick around for that. We'll get that going in just a few minutes.

00:00:38 - Jenny GK
But first, if she wore a pencil, I would not be able to use Caitlin on the SAT, because she's a number one in my book.

00:00:49 - Caitlin Kindred
You know what's so funny is that everyone knows what a number two pencil is. I don't think any. It occurs to anyone that there's got to be a number. Like, why is it a number two? There must be number one.

00:01:00 - Jenny GK
It's like the. The density of the graphite. Like, artists use different number pencils.

00:01:05 - Caitlin Kindred
Uh, what?

00:01:06 - Jenny GK
Yes. Okay, so you can actually go to an art supply store and look at other number of pencils. So there was a time where the number two actually mattered. Now it's like, that's a pencil.

00:01:18 - Caitlin Kindred
Whatever. Ticonderoga is the best. Go nuts. And that's Jenny, my perfectly genius princess, who even wears a tiara sometimes for her entire birthday week and sometimes month.

00:01:33 - Jenny GK
But. Or season.

00:01:36 - Caitlin Kindred
Or all of winter. Okay, all right, so, today, here's the thing. At this point in the school year, what teachers call the honeymoon period, aka, like, the first few fantasy. Right? When the kids are, like, still a little bit afraid and very tired. They're tired and they're on their best behavior, probably because they're tired, but also because they don't know you yet as a teacher, so they're just kind of feeling you out. The honeymoon period's overdem. So this is when the real behavior starts to settle in, both from the students and the teachers. And sometimes concerns start to show up as parents find out what's going on in classrooms.

00:02:29 - Jenny GK
Well, we're humans, and, yeah, the kids are not perfect. The teachers are not perfect. The parents are not perfect, and so we have to have space for everyone to be not perfect.

00:02:37 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly. So, that said, we thought it would be a good time to explain the best ways to address concerns that you might have with your teacher. Now, our sources for today are us.

00:02:49 - Jenny GK
Right?

00:02:50 - Caitlin Kindred
Because we've done this before.

00:02:52 - Jenny GK
On both sides.

00:02:53 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah, on both sides. At this point, now, I've had parents address concerns with me, and I've had, with my own child, had to address concerns with his teachers. And so we're just. We're coming at this from the perspective of a concerned parent, but also a teacher who has feelings on the other side. So we'll start with a minor concern.

00:03:14 - Jenny GK
Okay, cool.

00:03:15 - Caitlin Kindred
Something like a grading issue. Maybe your child worked on a project and the grade was just not what they expected. Or the teacher kind of said something weird where you were like, wait, my child said that? You said this? Can you just.

00:03:31 - Jenny GK
Yeah, let's clarify that. Let's get some context.

00:03:34 - Caitlin Kindred
Right. Okay. So we're going to start by saying for minor issues like this, the best thing you can do to preserve the relationship that you have with your teacher is address the teacher directly. This is not the time to send any emails to the above the head, the school administration kind of people. Okay?

00:03:54 - Jenny GK
Oh, yeah. No, no, no.

00:03:56 - Caitlin Kindred
Especially in the first contact, like when you're bccing and CC ing counselors over a grade issue. One, the counselors shouldn't be involved in that. Cause they have nothing to do with it. Counselors deal with student support, feelings and support that. That way they don't deal with the grade. That's not their job. But also, it just. It's not. Okay. Like, you don't want someone going over your head at your job, so don't do that to the teacher. So address the teacher directly. Don't call or send any emails to anyone else in your first contact. You also want to avoid anything that sounds accusatory, that as it would happen to you if you were accused of something right away, you would immediately go on the defensive. Right. That's not what you want to do here.

00:04:42 - Jenny GK
Just the facts, ma'am.

00:04:44 - Caitlin Kindred
Right. So you're going to avoid an accusatory tone because you'll put the teacher on the defensive immediately and you want to preserve your relationship, especially this early in the school year. Right. This is not the time to be rude to your child's teacher when what parents don't seem to understand is negative reaction or negative interactions with parents impact the relationship the teacher has with the child.

00:05:06 - Jenny GK
Yes.

00:05:07 - Caitlin Kindred
Even if it's not intentional. It's just. It's just how it is. Because the teacher now has to walk on eggshells around that child. So it just taints the relationship.

00:05:14 - Jenny GK
Yeah. And it doesn't make it worse.

00:05:16 - Caitlin Kindred
Right.

00:05:17 - Jenny GK
It's not like there's retaliation. It's just the relationship now is your parents and I were on the same team and now it feels like we're.

00:05:26 - Caitlin Kindred
Not right, and I have to be, again, walking on eggshells around you, the.

00:05:32 - Jenny GK
Child, because I am worried.

00:05:34 - Caitlin Kindred
Right, of what's going to happen moving forward. So I would recommend that you start with an email.

00:05:40 - Jenny GK
I agree.

00:05:41 - Caitlin Kindred
Emails give you and the teacher time to process what's going on here.

00:05:47 - Jenny GK
Right. And you can type up that email and then not send it. Go back an hour later and read it.

00:05:55 - Caitlin Kindred
So you're going to ask to clarify whatever the policy is or clarify the grade. Clarify the rule in the classroom. Okay. And the key word that I just said there is ask. You're going to ask for clarification. So something like, hi, there. I hope this email finds you well. I'm emailing about the essay, whatever that Sally wrote. She worked really hard on the assignment, and I helped her with it, but it feels like the grade she earned didn't reflect the final product that she submitted. Can you clarify how you graded this assignment? Can you clarify how this policy came to be? Can you clarify what the exact policy is so that I can ensure that Sally meets all the requirements next time? Or that I can ensure the behavior is what it needs to be? Or I can ensure that the assignment is submitted correctly or whatever for next time?

00:06:49 - Jenny GK
Yeah.

00:06:50 - Caitlin Kindred
If it's a grading issue, you can ask to see the rubric if you didn't get to see it, and then you'll say, I want to make sure that I discuss it with my child so that we know what to expect for next time. Whatever.

00:07:02 - Jenny GK
Yeah. Because here's the deal. This has happened to me multiple times where the kid has turned in a really, really awesome project that did not follow the guidelines.

00:07:12 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:07:13 - Jenny GK
If you were supposed to write the essay from the perspective of the main character, and instead you retold the story in third person, you did not do the correct assignment, and you might have written a really great paper, but we're gonna have to address the idea that the assignment was different.

00:07:33 - Caitlin Kindred
Right. And had the assignment been what you did, you would have probably gotten 100. But because you didn't actually follow the instructions, and the lesson is about first person writing missed the mark, and you didn't meet the standard.

00:07:45 - Jenny GK
And a great teacher, like you said, Caitlin, a great teacher is going to look at what the learning goal was, right. If the learning goal of this assignment was to put your mind in their shoes, develop their feelings, and write in first person narrative writing, a third person retelling is not the same learning goal.

00:08:07 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:08:07 - Jenny GK
Now, if the learning goal was just summarize the text and you did it. From either perspective, you did that.

00:08:14 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly. A plus. I think a lot of the time, especially with grading, parents really get worked up about that grade when, one, they watch how hard their child worked, and two, they also helped with the assignment.

00:08:26 - Jenny GK
Oh, sure.

00:08:27 - Caitlin Kindred
Because it almost feels like they got the bad grade, too.

00:08:29 - Jenny GK
Right.

00:08:29 - Caitlin Kindred
So it's like, well, yeah, what did we. You know, they did. So there's. There is that. Yeah, exactly. They did.

00:08:33 - Jenny GK
And also, let us remind every one of our listeners, we are assuming that the teacher on the other side is holding up their end of the bargain and doing their job the way it was intended.

00:08:45 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:08:45 - Jenny GK
It is very possible that the teacher your child has for this particular subject is not the ideal candidate for that role. Let us name that right here. It might come down to, this is going to be a hard year, and you might be paired with someone who isn't in the best job for them or for the kids. And that's a different conversation. This one assumes that you are working with someone who puts the kids first, understands the importance of partnering with parents, and is going to be a transparent individual.

00:09:21 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:09:22 - Jenny GK
Okay, continue on.

00:09:23 - Caitlin Kindred
So there's a couple of things with an email like that that I want to point out. One is that you're respecting the authority of the teacher. Right.

00:09:30 - Jenny GK
Right.

00:09:31 - Caitlin Kindred
You're not going over their head. And you're also, by asking a question, you're showing that they are the expert in the classroom, not you.

00:09:39 - Jenny GK
And you're not confusing your child.

00:09:41 - Caitlin Kindred
Right. Right.

00:09:42 - Jenny GK
You're allowing your child to see that two things can be true. My mom is in charge of me and my teacher is in charge of me.

00:09:48 - Caitlin Kindred
That's very true. Teachers are professionals and they do a job that you, as a parent, if you're not a teacher, you don't do that job. So you need to respect the fact that they are the expert at what they're doing. By asking for clarification on a grading rubric or on the policy, you're validating the teacher's process. You're understanding that there's a reason for whatever it is that they're doing, and you're respecting that.

00:10:15 - Jenny GK
And you're straight up telling them that you assume positive intent.

00:10:18 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly. So you can go about these minor concerns in a way that is respectful and kind. And then when you get the answer back, if it's something that you don't like, you need to ask yourself, do I just not like this? Is it just the facts? Is it, you know.

00:10:32 - Jenny GK
No. Or does this feel wrong?

00:10:35 - Caitlin Kindred
Icky. Right.

00:10:36 - Jenny GK
And it might, and that's why we have more layers of leadership to discuss.

00:10:44 - Caitlin Kindred
To deal with that. Right. Okay. So those are minor concerns. Again, start with an email, assume good intent, respect their authority, and then more than likely the issue will resolve itself. The second thing, though, is something a little bit. I wouldn't call it a moderate concern because that doesn't sound correct here, but it's more of a major concern. And I would say it's a bigger question. It's a bigger question. Yes. These would be things that are like, your child is having some emotional concerns. Bullying or something like that could be bullying between students. Maybe the student genuinely feels like, you know, we're a month in and I'm getting vibes that my teacher does not like me. And there's. And I don't know what the reason is. I behave myself, I do my work, and for some reason, the teacher is not kind to me, and I need to find out what's going on. This is actually something that I have dealt with personally, so I'm coming from that perspective as well here. Again, I'm going to start by addressing the teacher directly. Now, if bullying between students is a concern, I would include the child's teacher where that event is happening. If it's at a middle school level, you could include any teacher who's got the same class as that kid, and including the counselor and or assistant principal. For a bullying concern is absolutely warranted. And okay here.

00:12:08 - Jenny GK
And let us pause and define the term bullying.

00:12:12 - Caitlin Kindred
Yes.

00:12:13 - Jenny GK
Because bullying is different than normal meanness.

00:12:17 - Caitlin Kindred
Right.

00:12:17 - Jenny GK
Well, I don't want to say that kids can be mean to each other. We know that they can, and that will be addressed. And it is worthy of an email.

00:12:28 - Caitlin Kindred
Absolutely.

00:12:29 - Jenny GK
If something has happened that was even within the realm of quote unquote normal meanness, it should still be addressed. But it has a different title than the b word. Bullying involves a difference in power. It involves being told expressly that that behavior is not enjoyable and it is repetitive. So if your child has not been told to stop and is continuing a behavior that makes another child uncomfortable, we can't call it bullying because that child was not told no. Now, is it ugly? Yes. Is it making the other child uncomfortable? Absolutely. And as soon as that kid says to the teacher or to your child, hey, you got to stop. I don't like that. And the behavior continues. Now, we can use that bullying label, but for a while, it's just targeted teasing. It's normal meanness. It's gross, but it's not bullying.

00:13:34 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah, the bullying thing is, it goes on for a period. A longer period of time, too. Right? Like, if, you know, I always used to say to my kids, like, when I was teaching, when I changed their seats, I would say, this is so probably not appropriate, but it's okay. I would say you're stuck where you're at. Okay. And I put you here for a reason. You don't know the reason, and that's okay. You don't need to. But if you feel like after the end of one week, five classroom sessions, you might murder a kid at your table, or actually, the way that I said it was, you might end up in jail for murder.

00:14:12 - Jenny GK
Right.

00:14:13 - Caitlin Kindred
Then come talk to me.

00:14:15 - Jenny GK
Right.

00:14:15 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay. If the person sitting across from you is just a jerk, that's not the same thing as you being bullied and want to murder that person. They're different things. Right. So just understanding that, like, especially at the middle school level, like kids are, kids say mean things, like a mean thing two or three times is not the same thing as intentional, targeted, power imbalance, repetitive behavior. Okay. So I'm just. We're just putting that out there.

00:14:45 - Jenny GK
Both deserve to be addressed, and both need to be stopped.

00:14:51 - Caitlin Kindred
Right.

00:14:52 - Jenny GK
But we want to make sure that we save the label for the appropriate time.

00:14:57 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly. That said, emotional concerns do warrant some sort of escalation, 100%. So if it's like a one or two thing, you know, like Sally said that Bobby was picking on her in class. It happened one or two times. Can you just address it? That's a teacher only kind of email. But when we get the bullying or we get the repetitive behavior, that's when I would recommend involving a counselor and or assistant principal. Be honest about your child's feelings here. Make them I statements so that you're not being accusatory again. You're going to validate the teacher's expertise in classroom management and or relationship building with children. You can say something in the email. Like, after this incident, whatever it was, I've noticed that Sally seems to be feeling really down about herself and school. And then do you have any advice about how we can address this together?

00:15:55 - Jenny GK
Mm hmm.

00:15:56 - Caitlin Kindred
The together piece shows that you're on the same team.

00:15:59 - Jenny GK
Yep.

00:16:00 - Caitlin Kindred
Do you have any advice? You are validating the expertise of the teacher and or school officials that you're emailing if the answer that you get is not satisfactory or the answer is satisfactory, but after a couple of weeks, the issue still keeps coming up. I would ask for a follow up meeting, a Zoom call, a phone call with some additional support. From administration counselor, bring somebody else into the conversation.

00:16:29 - Jenny GK
Don't have a separate conversation. Right.

00:16:32 - Caitlin Kindred
And I will say, when I was dealing with this, this was a direct concern with my child's teacher, as in my child was feeling as though his teacher did not like him. And other students were pointing out that this teacher is not kind in the way she speaks to my child.

00:16:52 - Jenny GK
That's hard.

00:16:52 - Caitlin Kindred
It was a situation not with my child and another child. It was with my child and the teacher. So.

00:16:58 - Jenny GK
And perception is reality.

00:16:59 - Caitlin Kindred
Yes. And it was kindergarten. A kindergartner should not feel that way about their teacher or school. Right. So it was a different situation. And in that situation, I did say to the teacher, I would like to have this discussion with you. Would you feel more comfortable if the counselor was also involved?

00:17:19 - Jenny GK
Right.

00:17:19 - Caitlin Kindred
And that teacher said, yes. And so our Zoom call was with the counselor on the team.

00:17:25 - Jenny GK
Because remember now that everybody is team kid.

00:17:29 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:17:30 - Jenny GK
Everybody is team kid. And a good administrator will be a support system to their teachers while also putting the kid at the center. It might be sitting next to the teacher and saying to the parent in front of the teacher. Yeah, that really wasn't the kind of way that we want to behave.

00:17:51 - Caitlin Kindred
Right.

00:17:52 - Jenny GK
I'm sorry that that happened. And I'm gonna be coaching the teacher on doing a better job. And that's. That's still supporting your teacher while still being team kid.

00:18:05 - Caitlin Kindred
And you'll notice, too, that I, as the parent, invited the counselor in. Now, granted, I understand that, like, as a former teacher, there was a reason I did that. Right. Because I would never want to have that one on one. It just. It. Yeah, that meeting feels uncomfortable just off the bat. But I also did it intentionally to make sure to put the teacher on notice that we're escalating this behavior. This is a serious matter to me. I want an administrator there for your support and for mine.

00:18:34 - Jenny GK
Yeah, absolutely. Team kid.

00:18:36 - Caitlin Kindred
Yep, team kid. I actually my child's principal, when they send emails to families, the email is always addressed, hello, team child's name.

00:18:48 - Jenny GK
That's cool.

00:18:48 - Caitlin Kindred
I love that. I love it. Anyway. Okay, so now we have to talk about immediate concerns. I hope with my entire heart that this is never a situation that you are in, but we're talking about teachers who are endangering the safety of your child or others. Okay. Depending on the situation, call the police. Okay. Like, just putting that out there. Depending on the situation, call the police. That is absolutely. Okay. If it's not a police matter, you have every right to reach out to counselor, assistant principal, and principal, escalate the situation as high as you can and not to include the teacher in the email.

00:19:28 - Jenny GK
Sure.

00:19:29 - Caitlin Kindred
Every right to do that. Because if it's a safety issue, it.

00:19:32 - Jenny GK
Needs to be addressed immediately.

00:19:33 - Caitlin Kindred
Right. And it needs to be done. Bye. The people in charge. I feel like there's a lot of time where people are afraid to do that. You don't need to be afraid to do that. You'll do it for, like, me, for minor things. Oh, baby. Baby boy's grade is not what I want, so I'm going to call the principal. No major safety concerns escalate. Call the police if you have to. Of course. Like, no one's ever going to tell you, oh, interest the teacher directly. Make sure you're respectful. And no, that's not what we're talking about here. Okay. So I feel like that's kind of an obvious thing, but I just. I did need to point that out, that a safety issue like physical, immediate harm. No, that's not what we're talking about here in this. Addressing concerns. Right. Call the police, call the principal. Do what you have to do. And I personally would recommend an initial email saying, here's what happened. Please call me right away so that you have documentation of when you reported it to the powers that beat. There you go.

00:20:29 - Jenny GK
And remember that as of the most recent law, every adult over the age of 18 in Texas is a mandated reporter. And if you suspect child abuse, you are lawfully required to report it within 48 hours.

00:20:50 - Caitlin Kindred
Mandatory reporting is a thing. I mean, I did it when I was a teacher in Colorado. I had to call several times for several students, and it's hard, heartbreaking to do. It's a scary thing to do as a teacher now.

00:21:02 - Jenny GK
It rests on the shoulders of everyone over the age of 18, regardless of profession.

00:21:07 - Caitlin Kindred
Yep.

00:21:07 - Jenny GK
Team kid.

00:21:08 - Caitlin Kindred
Team kid. That was heavy.

00:21:12 - Jenny GK
That is heavy. So let's go back and lighten it up a little bit. If you have a little minor concern, miscommunication, a grade that doesn't feel right, a policy that seems kind of questionable, email the teacher directly. Don't cc anybody else on it. Don't call and make it weird, like, just send a quick message and ask for clarification.

00:21:33 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly.

00:21:34 - Jenny GK
If your child's emotional health is at risk or you feel that there's something going on in the classroom that requires a little bit more energy from the teacher's perspective, go ahead and send an email directly to the teacher, validating the child's experience, but also validating the teacher's expertise. So this would look like, something about. I'm thinking about trying this. What are your thoughts? Do you have any advice on how we can partner for this? What kind of things are you doing in the classroom that you see work?

00:22:04 - Caitlin Kindred
Yep.

00:22:05 - Jenny GK
And if you feel like that's not enough, feel free to take it to the next level, which would be a meeting, whether it be virtual or in person, with the next level of leadership included in the conversation with the teacher.

00:22:19 - Caitlin Kindred
Yes.

00:22:20 - Jenny GK
Now, separate. Completely different issue. When student safety is involved, and that means emotional or physical safety, you need to take this to the next level. And depending on the situation, you are either reaching out to a campus administration, school leadership, or the police. And don't question it.

00:22:43 - Caitlin Kindred
You did it for a reason.

00:22:44 - Jenny GK
If your gut says call, call.

00:22:46 - Caitlin Kindred
Mm hmm. Okay, perfect.

00:22:48 - Jenny GK
Let's take a break.

00:22:50 - Caitlin Kindred
For links to resources mentioned in this episode, head on over to ckngkpodcast.com blog to find everything you need. And be sure to follow us on social media. Head over to your favorite social media network and find us at ckngkpodcast. And now back to the show. Okay, we're back. We're back.

00:23:11 - Jenny GK
We're back. Okay, it's time for us to have a little circle time. We're gonna sit on the rug. Crisscross applesauce school is back in session. We all have a dot, and we're gonna tell some stories. So the first thing I'm gonna talk about is what I'm obsessed with. And I'm sorry, guys, but it's, like, still this Disney trip I went on more than a month ago. Okay. So we went to the D 23 conference, which happens every two years. And this is when Disney announces, like, what rides are coming, what parks they're gonna build, what movies are coming. It also has, like, different featurettes on all things Disney. Right? Like, including, like, they own Hulu. So there's, like, a whole Hulu experience. And. Yeah. And there's a sale where people, like a bazaar where people can bring items and their collections and stuff. So, I mean, it was. It was a cool event, but it was also my first time to go to Disneyland.

00:24:07 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, California. Okay.

00:24:08 - Jenny GK
So I picked up a new castle. Oh, yeah. And I imagine that most people have not been to world and Tokyo before they go to California, but that is the case for me. And it was amazing. It was so cute. And, like, to walk down the road and say, like, walt, walk down this road is really cool.

00:24:29 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah.

00:24:30 - Jenny GK
I will also say that if you are going to experience Disney for the very first time, I would not suggest Disneyland.

00:24:39 - Caitlin Kindred
Interesting. Why is that?

00:24:40 - Jenny GK
Yes, why? It was not as great a customer service cast member magic situation as I have experienced at world.

00:24:52 - Caitlin Kindred
Huh.

00:24:53 - Jenny GK
It was extremely difficult to find a clean bathroom. No, there were cast members who didn't know that rides were closed, that had been closed for weeks for refurbishment. Not, like closed because something broke. Like, it's under renovation.

00:25:09 - Caitlin Kindred
That's not good.

00:25:10 - Jenny GK
But we did get a little magic.

00:25:13 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay.

00:25:13 - Jenny GK
Indiana Jones broke down. That's what we rope dropped. Okay. We went to Indiana Jones first. We're on, like, the second car of the ride, and it broke down, and we sat on it for, like, 20 minutes, and then they got it back up, and we were able to ride. And then when we got to where you get off, they're like, no, no, you guys are going around again. So we got to ride it again without stopping, which was really, really cool.

00:25:36 - Caitlin Kindred
That's nice.

00:25:37 - Jenny GK
Yeah. In addition to that, we also got a fast pass or lightning lane that we could use at a selection of other rides as, like, a I'm sorry. Present.

00:25:47 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, that's. That is nice.

00:25:49 - Jenny GK
Yeah, it was really cool. Yeah. And I have a really great story. This is really cast member, my husband making Disney magic for me, and I wish he hadn't told me because now I see behind the curtain, but still, it's fine. I was really proud of my outfit, Caitlin.

00:26:05 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay.

00:26:06 - Jenny GK
I will say that I am not a full on Disney adult. Like, we don't, like, collect memorabilia.

00:26:11 - Caitlin Kindred
You don't have, like, a leather jacket with Mickey mouse on it.

00:26:14 - Jenny GK
But when we are in the parks, we are immersed.

00:26:17 - Caitlin Kindred
Sure.

00:26:18 - Jenny GK
So I had this skirt that was the Disneyland skirt sign, like, as a little twirly skirt.

00:26:26 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, my goodness.

00:26:27 - Jenny GK
Okay. And I had some ears that I had custom ordered that I really, really liked. They were, like, this cream color with sparkles, and they also had, like, a little headband with stars on it.

00:26:39 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, my God. That's very you.

00:26:40 - Jenny GK
Yes. Yes. It was as close to ears and tiara without being, like, cinderella tiara as you can get.

00:26:46 - Caitlin Kindred
Exactly. Yeah.

00:26:48 - Jenny GK
So 27 people complimented my skirt.

00:26:53 - Caitlin Kindred
You counted 20.

00:26:55 - Jenny GK
Well, at one point, I was like, okay, I'm gonna start counting.

00:26:58 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, my gosh.

00:26:59 - Jenny GK
Yes. All over the parks. So that was really fun. But I said to John at one point, I really shouldn't have worn my ears with this outfit, because I'm proud of these ears too. And everyone sees the skirt, and no one's complimenting my ears, which is such a childish and materialistic thing to say. Nobody's complimenting my ears. Everyone's only complimenting my skirt. I sound like Miss Georgia or something. So later on that day, a cast member walks up to me and says, I just want to tell you I really love your ears. They are so fun. Did you have them made? And I was like, yes. Thank you. Oh, my gosh. So as we're walking away, John was like, okay. Did you see her name tag? I was like, yeah. He says, okay, we need to make sure that we put in a compliment to her. And I was like, okay. He says, because I told her the story about your skirt and ears, and she came and found you.

00:27:56 - Caitlin Kindred
Why did he do that? He shouldn't have said anything.

00:27:59 - Jenny GK
No, because the magic of them doing it and seeking me out to come tell me was more like, felt better than even the compliment of the ears. The idea that she heard this, she found me later and came and made a compliment. I was like, okay, you guys know what's up? So while it wasn't as holistic an experience as world, it was still pretty fabulous.

00:28:24 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay, well, that's good then. You are. You are bordering. You're inching closer and closer to Disney. Adult. I'm gonna say this now, lovingly. You are.

00:28:35 - Jenny GK
But here's the deal, Caitlin. We are running a business.

00:28:39 - Caitlin Kindred
Yes, you are.

00:28:41 - Jenny GK
You're right. We are going to have to be involved in order for our business to be successful.

00:28:47 - Caitlin Kindred
Yes. We're talking about the travel agency business, right?

00:28:51 - Jenny GK
Yes, that's the excuse. John's a travel agent now, so we're allowed to be obsessed.

00:28:56 - Caitlin Kindred
Well, here's the other thing. If you start getting Disney tattoos, we're going to have a very real conversation.

00:29:02 - Jenny GK
Okay. So someone actually called me out at work. She was like, I did not know that you were a Disney adult. And I was like, I am nothing. I do not have any tattoos.

00:29:11 - Caitlin Kindred
I do not have a leather jacket that has mickey Mouse on the back. So. And if that happens, I'm not gonna be okay.

00:29:17 - Jenny GK
And the Disney advertisements on my car are magnets that can be removed in the blink of an eye. Oh, just saying.

00:29:25 - Caitlin Kindred
I still have my bluey magnet on my car. Nice parking spot, Raida. Okay, mine is. I'm so late to this party. I'm just gonna tell you this right now, but I don't know how into Reddit you are. I know your dad is a Reddit.

00:29:40 - Jenny GK
Yes, iita only.

00:29:44 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, okay. There are other really great Reddit channels.

00:29:51 - Jenny GK
Oh, yeah.

00:29:52 - Caitlin Kindred
I went and did a deep. I was trying to find some, like, episode inspiration, and there's a ton in there that you can always use for anything. Like this. Reddit's amazing. But I really like the today I learned thread because there is so much weird stuff in there. The one that I, that I learned yesterday is tectonic plates move roughly at the same rate that your fingernails grow.

00:30:20 - Jenny GK
Like, what, to trim Antarctica, because it's starting to get ingrown.

00:30:24 - Caitlin Kindred
North America needs to get on it because her cuticles are a little bit long or whatever. I just thought it was, I thought it was really funny. But there's just stuff like that in there that I was like, this is great. I also like the one that's like, this is actually really cool. And it'll be like, one of them was like a, it was a glass cube and it was shattered on the inside.

00:30:44 - Jenny GK
Okay.

00:30:44 - Caitlin Kindred
And then when you went around it, it was a skull design. Like, someone had intentionally shattered it to be a skull design on the inside of this cube. It was super cool.

00:30:53 - Jenny GK
So, yeah, that is cool.

00:30:55 - Caitlin Kindred
It was really cool. So I just was, do you remember stumbleupon? Did you ever have a stumbleupon account?

00:31:01 - Jenny GK
No.

00:31:02 - Caitlin Kindred
Stumbleupon was like, you would get on to stumbleupon and then you would just click a button and it would take you to a website that might be of interest to you.

00:31:10 - Jenny GK
Okay.

00:31:11 - Caitlin Kindred
And you would, you know, spend some time and then you just click stumble again and it would take you to another one that was completely unrelated. It was really fun. Reddit, those two threads are giving me stumble upon.

00:31:21 - Jenny GK
Oh, yeah. No.

00:31:23 - Caitlin Kindred
Anyway, super fun.

00:31:24 - Jenny GK
No, Reddit is cool. And the more subreddits you subscribe to, like, the more interesting your feed gets.

00:31:30 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah. And also, I did not know this, but some, this is how new I am to Reddit, basically. I've always just, like, read it and literally read the threads and not actually joined, but I joined so that I could comment and post.

00:31:43 - Jenny GK
It's the front page of the Internet.

00:31:45 - Caitlin Kindred
It pretty much is. That's what they call themselves. Yeah, but it's pretty much true, is what I'm getting at. But I did not know that you had to have Reddit Karma in order to participate in some threads. So that's another reason to build up my, anyway, it doesn't matter. Just, if you ever are sick of looking at your Instagram feed, go to Reddit.

00:32:09 - Jenny GK
There you go.

00:32:10 - Caitlin Kindred
Today I learned, learned something different.

00:32:12 - Jenny GK
The Duggarsnark subreddit is one of my favorites.

00:32:15 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, dear.

00:32:16 - Jenny GK
Yes. But I love the Duggarts. Okay, so gem of the week, also Disney related, maybe I am a Disney adult at this conference. The closing ceremonies is the, quote, unquote Disney Legends ceremony. And this is when they induct people into their hall of fame. Oh, and remember, this only happens every other year. And so the class is pretty large. I think there were like twelve, maybe more.

00:32:39 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay.

00:32:40 - Jenny GK
Okay. So people who were being inducted, Harrison Ford.

00:32:44 - Caitlin Kindred
Just now.

00:32:45 - Jenny GK
They're in person. Yes.

00:32:47 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, they're in person. That's pretty.

00:32:48 - Jenny GK
They're in person. Like, I am in the same room as Harrison Ford. James Cameron. Also just now, John Williams.

00:32:56 - Caitlin Kindred
That's a good one. Also just now. Like what?

00:32:59 - Jenny GK
Right, right. There were some. There was a famous tour guide who was the first black Disneyland tour guide. And then she ended up, like, running all of the marketing events and like, moving her way up. And she wrote a book and she was inducted and she was a really interesting story. There was a costume designer who's done a lot of work with Tim Burton, including the Alice in Wonderland costumes and the dumbo costumes. And then there was an animator. Oh, my gosh. It was such a great story. And he's such a cute guy. He, growing up, said that he wanted to be a Disney animator when he grew up. Like, that's what he wanted to be. And he did what he needed to do to get hired. He is called the quote unquote Princess Guy because he drew Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan and Tiana.

00:33:51 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, my goodness.

00:33:52 - Jenny GK
And when he was getting his award presented, they brought out the actresses who, who played those five princesses in the movies. In the movies? Like they're voice actresses.

00:34:04 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, wow.

00:34:05 - Jenny GK
And they all had something great to say about Mark Hen, including Tiana saying, like, he made Tiana left handed. Like, me was sobbing. I feel so sorry for the people sitting around us because I was a mess.

00:34:23 - Caitlin Kindred
Booger. Crying.

00:34:24 - Jenny GK
Yes. The actress who plays Belle said that the first time she met Mark, she had a piece of hair that, like, wouldn't stay still. And so he incorporated that into Belle's character.

00:34:37 - Caitlin Kindred
That one piece in the front?

00:34:38 - Jenny GK
Yes. Oh, that's because the first time he met the voice actress, she kept tucking one piece of hair behind her ear. In his acceptance speech, he's talking about his granddaughters as his own little princesses and, like, telling the story of his family. It was like, I am melting. It was amazing. But my gem is actually a shout out to Jamie Lee Curtis, who is also being inducted.

00:35:01 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, okay.

00:35:03 - Jenny GK
In her speech, again, I'm in the same room as her. It was so cool. Miley Cyrus also got inducted, by the way.

00:35:09 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh.

00:35:10 - Jenny GK
So anyway, Jamie Lee Curtis, in her speech, mentions her favorite ride, which is. And well, oh, I will tell you, it was important. The ceremony is now available for streaming on Disneyland.

00:35:24 - Caitlin Kindred
Okay.

00:35:25 - Jenny GK
So knowing how important this was, we watched it with Abby and Kit and did not tell them what Jamie Lee Curtis's favorite ride was and what she was going to mention in her speech. Okay, caitlyn, there are now two people on the planet who would choose the carousel of progress as their favorite Disney attraction. Okay. Abigail and Jamie Lee. Okay.

00:35:55 - Caitlin Kindred
For those of us who are less aware of the carousel of progress, this.

00:35:59 - Jenny GK
Is the ride that is a spinning theater with animatronic families moving through the 20th century.

00:36:09 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh.

00:36:09 - Jenny GK
And so you watch a 15 minutes show as your seat rotates around a carousel of four different scenes of this same family moving through time.

00:36:23 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, that's actually kind of cool. I don't know that it would be a favorite, but that's pretty cool.

00:36:26 - Jenny GK
It's not a thrill ride. It's not based on Disney IP, it's not something that's interactive. It is literally sitting in a stage or in a theater that rotates around a stage with animatronics from the fifties. And Abigail loves it. One time we went, she said, can we rope drop it? We're like, no, it never has a weight.

00:36:57 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, gosh.

00:36:59 - Jenny GK
We've never had to wait for that ride, ever. We're not gonna rope drop it.

00:37:04 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, my goodness. Sam wants DVD's.

00:37:08 - Jenny GK
Wait, what?

00:37:09 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah, I don't.

00:37:10 - Jenny GK
Do you have a dvd player?

00:37:12 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah. That's like ten years old or more, right? Like, it's not hooked up like he.

00:37:19 - Jenny GK
I mean, we do, but we also have a VHS player and I am old.

00:37:23 - Caitlin Kindred
Well, I don't have a VHS player, but I did.

00:37:26 - Jenny GK
But the fact that your kid wants DVD's, or as we call them in our house, dvdists.

00:37:30 - Caitlin Kindred
Oh, dear. It started because he saw Ultramandhenne. Have you ever heard of Ultraman? Yes, I guess there are like old Ultraman movies.

00:37:42 - Jenny GK
Yeah. Like my dad liked Ultraman when he was a kid.

00:37:44 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah.

00:37:45 - Jenny GK
Growing up in the sixties.

00:37:46 - Caitlin Kindred
Well, they've made some new ones recently. One of them is, I guess, Ultraman rising or something. Anyway, they just redid it and release it. It's on Netflix. And so he found out that there are like old Ultraman movies. Yes. And that they're available on DVD and he wants them. So he was like, can we get them on DVD? I want to watch them today. You're like, so DVD's are about different. If we order a DVD, we have to wait for it to. It's a physical thing and he's like, yeah, it's a disc. And then you just stream it. And I was like.

00:38:18 - Jenny GK
No, let me tell you about Netflix. Before it was called Quickster.

00:38:25 - Caitlin Kindred
Before you could differentiate profiles and have a picture of Spike from what? Super monsters as your profile picture, which is what my Netflix picture is. If you don't know what super monsters is, it's adorable. You and your kids should watch it on Halloween time. It's precious. Anyway, so that's mine. It's just. I just feel old because Sam wants DVD's.

00:38:47 - Jenny GK
Dvd's. Well, and with having a seven year gap like Abbie grew up on DVD's.

00:38:53 - Caitlin Kindred
We had them so different. Yep. So.

00:38:56 - Jenny GK
And, like, I wanted to buy her a set of movies. We bought it on disc.

00:39:01 - Caitlin Kindred
Yeah, I have all of the friends discs. How much money I spent on owning first number of three friends. Oh, yeah. Easy. And I also have every season of Sex and the City.

00:39:11 - Jenny GK
So does John and Will and Grace.

00:39:14 - Caitlin Kindred
Do you know how much money that is? Also, why does John have every season of sex?

00:39:17 - Jenny GK
Right. Well, we were first dating, and I went to his house for the first time. I was like, wait, what? You have this and you have it on display?

00:39:25 - Caitlin Kindred
Well, the cases were cool, right?

00:39:27 - Jenny GK
He was like, yeah, this is a box set.

00:39:31 - Caitlin Kindred
I didn't buy the box set. I was poor, so I bought them one season at a time.

00:39:36 - Jenny GK
Nope, he has the boxed set of the entire series of Sex and the City.

00:39:42 - Caitlin Kindred
Anyway.

00:39:43 - Jenny GK
Yeah. Anyway. Okay, well, when you are going to blockbuster on Friday night to decide what you're gonna watch, make good choices and.

00:39:54 - Caitlin Kindred
Be respectful when you're dealing with your teachers, because you're all the same. Team. Team kid.

00:40:01 - Jenny GK
Team kid. Bye.

00:40:02 - Caitlin Kindred
Goodbye.