In the course of making regular rounds at Childrens Memoral Hospital, I peeked into a 16 year old girl's room to get her permission to visit. She waved me in, but it was clear this girl was in no mood to clown around.

The first thing out of her mouth expressed her anger and frustration because she was not being released from the hospital yet.

I listened, and then held a prop as a microphone and asked her if she wanted to say bad words with me. She looked at me half smiling and half like I was crazy, and started swearing into the "mike".

She started giggling. The more we swore (I was always in character), the more she giggled. This probably lasted no more than a minute. When I left her room, she was in a much better mood. (Aren't you after you've expressed your anger?)

Clown Dode does not swear. I wouldn't have done this with a younger child and I'm very glad a nurse didn't happen into the room at the time, but, giggling as I left, Sally thanked me for visiting and said she'd be okay.

[This message was edited by Clown Dode on January 27, 2003 at 02:57 PM.]