What Do You Call That Thing?

One morning a couple of weeks ago, I was checking on my second grade Mr. Personality to see how well he'd followed his teacher's directions the day before.  Since it was the last full week of school, excitement was all around.  "When are you having your class party?" I asked, as this was a week of celebrations for everybody.  He said in all seriousness, "We're not having a party.  We're having an out-house."  Surprised and perplexed, I screwed up my face and said, "Say what?"  "No, not an out-house, an in-house," he replied.  Noticing my facial expressions and seeing that I was holding back laughter, he asked, "What do you call that thing, you know, when your parents come to school?"  With understanding, I said, "Oh, you mean an OPEN house."  With a look of relief, the freckle-faced cutie widened his eyes, nodded his head vigorously, and said, "Yep, that's what we're having!"  We went on to have a humorous discussion about what out- houses are, and I was able to tell him a true story about my great aunt and uncle, who raised sugar cane and had an out-house that they actually used back when I was a little girl.  I think the little boy learned something interesting that morning, and we both shared a giggle as he meandered back into class!