KIT and the ADVENTURES of SUPER BENJI

"When I grow up I wanna be a little kid." -KIT CALDER-WHITE

Last Wednesday, I was in a foul mood.
I was tired, and frustrated about a dozen things that we grown ups stress about, as I walked to an afternoon class.
There were bills to pay, I’d left home without my phone, forgotten to pack the materials for my class, had said the wrong thing in an email, and other such matters of importance.

I was in the process of bemoaning my stupidity, when I was abruptly jolted from my mood of seething, by a little kid who had run into me by accident.
My first reaction was a "Why you little..."
And then I saw the look of shock on her face.
She was hardly more than two feet tall, about three years of age, with big brown eyes and long brown hair, carefully swept back by a red Alice band.
She smiled sweetly at me, then ran back to her mother,(who was now frantically calling out to her and scolding her for her lack of awareness), singing a song to herself.

I looked up and realised I was now part of a large group of little spanish kids and their parents, who were on their way home from school.
Spanish kids are cute. Really cute.
Take a normal kid and multiply the energy, charisma and cuteness by about three and you’ll get the idea.
CUTE!
As I observed these munchkins walking aimlessly, asking lots of questions, picking their noses and singing to themselves, a big smile came across my face!
Aren’t little kids great?
The world is a wonder for little kids.
They show love and respect without fear and their concept of shame is still at the innocent stage.
They are who they are.
There’s no race, sex, or religion.
What’s most important is "Will you be my friend?" Or "Will you play with me?"
We were all once little kids.
But somehow we lost all that.
What a shame!

When a group of kids then suddenly started to run for no other reason but for the sheer pleasure of it, I was reminded of my favourite super hero.
Super Benji.

***

My first ever day of teaching four year olds, was the day Super Benji saved me.
I was filling in for a teacher who was away on a conference and I wasn’t actually sure what to do with kids of that age.
"It’s mostly just playing with them and reading stories," I was informed.
‘Just playing and reading stories?’ And they are going to pay me to do this? Suckers!
However, I soon found it was a quite bit more involved than that. A lot more.
Kids cried. Kids wanted to go to the toilet. Kids wanted fruit. Kids didn’t like the fruit. By the time we actually got to go outside and play, I was already looking at how many hours were left in the day.

Then a wonderful thing happened.

I was standing in the playground observing some children fighting over some tricycles, when suddenly a little afro-caribbean kid, ran past me with his arms extended behind him, and then proceed to run around the playground in a big circle, until he suddenly stopped, directly in front of me.

"What’s your name?" I enquired.
"Super Benji!” he replied, adopting a superman like pose.
I was impressed.
"What can I do to save you?" He asked, with a triumphant grin.
A huge smile enveloped my face.

Then, I had an idea.

" I’m OK Super Benji. But, a lion has escaped from the zoo. Can you put him back in his cage before he tries to eat one of the children?"
Super Benji suddenly took off in a single bound, and once again, proceeded to race around the playground, this time in a somewhat more haphazard manner.
When he eventually returned to where I was standing, he gave me a report about his deeds, in the cute way that pre schoolers normally try to hold a conversation with you.
" I, I got da lion and and and I got it and I put it in da zoo and it didn’t eat no children."
"Fantastic Super Benji! " I smiled, "You saved the day! That’s another great job done by....."
"Super Benji!"
And with that, he took off around the playground again.
It was at that moment, I suddenly realised that I was now surrounded by kids, all looking at me with curiosity, and all of them, craving my attention.
"I’m Super Maria!"
"I’m Super Paul!"
"I’m Super Diana and my dolly, she, she, she’s called Jane, like my mummy"
"I’m Super John. I don’t like bwussell spwouts, but, but my Daddy says I have to eat them!"
Super heroes as far as my eyes could see!

It took quite a lot of creativity, but I eventually managed to send each one of those super heroes on their own special mission and each of them ran around the playground smiling to themselves and reported back to me in their own individual way and in their own time. Very cute.
Needless to say, the game and my smile went on all morning and the time just flew by.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of break time, I found myself the subject of admiration and a lot of affection, as one kid after another, tried to hold my hand or hug me.
Boy did I feel…Super!
All thanks to…Super Benji!

***

As I continued on my journey to work leaving the throng of Spanish kids behind me, there was now a huge grin where a frown had once resided.
Feeling light hearted, I decided to put my hands behind my back and run.
And I ran...and ran.
Just for the sake of it.
Smiling the whole time. All the way to class.

Because I’m Super Kit...
And that’s all that really matters.

Kit Calder-White is the author of the Soundtrack Of My Life series. Volume one: First Love is available now on Amazon and from most online book retailers.