On Stirrings

This first picture is to show you what a great teacher I am:

They love me. Maybe one reason they love me is because I talk about things like "Stirrings."

If you've read The Giver, you know how wonderfully awkward chapter 5 is.
If you haven't, let me fill you in:

Jonas telling his dream from the previous night to his parents: 

"It was only me and Fiona, alone in the room standing beside the tub. She was laughing, But I wasn't. I was almost a little angry at her, in the dream, because she wasn't taking me seriously."

"Seriously about What?" Lily asked.

Jonas looked at his plate. For some reason that he didn't understand, he felt slightly embarrassed. "I think I was trying to convince her that she should get into the tub of water...I wanted her to take off her clothes and get into the tub," he explained quickly. "I wanted to bathe her. I had the sponge in my hand. But she wouldn't. She kept laughing and saying no."

He looked up at his parents. "That's all," he said.  

"Can you describe the strongest feeling in your dream, son?" Father asked.

 Jonas thought about it. The details were murky and vague. But the feelings were clear, and flooded him again now as he thought. "The wanting," he said. 

...

"Jonas," [Mother] said with a smile, "the feeling you described as the wanting? It was your first Stirrings."

I usually read that last line like this: "It was your first Stirrings!!!!!!"
It's the best to read with 8th graders. They giggle and look around the room, trying to make eye contact with anyone who is also looking around, giggling. Some kids yell, "Why are we reading this?!" and "This is not a children's book!" And I laugh and laugh.

I like to then further the awkwardness by asking, "So, what are Stirrings?"
My favorite answer I heard this year was: Hormones!

Now, I know what you're all thinking. You're thinking Where can I get some stirrings? 
Good news! You can get some Stirrings at Target. On clearance!