A long time ago when one of my kids was in elementary school, I volunteered to chaperone the fourth-grade end-of-school outing to a pool. The kids were nine or ten years old. My job was to sit in a chair and make sure no one got out of hand. I was seated and quiet and therefore invisible to the kids.

A group of four girls set up camp in front of me. At one point, one of the girls left to do something and the other three promptly started talking smack about her. The ringleader grabbed a paper plate and started writing down, “Reasons why we don’t like so-and-so.” They wrote and snickered and had a grand time at the other girl’s expense. Then they tucked the paper plate under a knapsack, linked arms and went off to grab some lunch.

As soon as they left, I snatched the paper plate and buried it deep in a garbage can. When the girls returned, they noticed the plate was gone. Oh, my God! Where did it go?? They started to panic. They asked some other kids if they had seen it. No. They tore the place apart looking for it. Never did find it.

Eventually, the party ended and we packed up to leave. I don’t know if any lessons were learned but I certainly enjoyed watching those little girls squirm for a little while.