Cowlick
This morning, like yesterday morning, Noah* asked me to put two coats on him: one the right way, and one backward. That way, he could hide his face, and "remember my dream about Shark Boy and Lava Girl!" In fact that's what he was doing, since I accidentally interrupted him reminiscing and got to see his dejected face. He'd had a dream last night that he had been the ally of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, helping them fight the bad guys. If he wanted to relive his glory days, that was fine with me.
At one point, he pulled the hood off of his face and told me that the boys at daycare had made fun of him because yesterday when he pulled off his hood his hair was sticking up in the back. I brought him to the bathroom and wet down his unruly hair, telling him that those boys were just jealous of his beautiful hair. I also told him that if that happened, he could go to the bathroom and wet his hair, just like I was doing.
Noah's been able to call my bluff on a lot of things in the past, but lately, I think he wants to believe. He wants to believe I can put magic on the doors and windows so bad guys can't get in. He wants to believe that I can tell his stuffed animals to come alive at night to take care of him. Maybe it's the age...I guess at 4 years old, they start to get more scared of things. But I think it's easier to be scared of ghosts than to be scared of the boys at daycare. The ghosts never show.
Maybe he can believe they are jealous of his hair. Or maybe that's just some stupid lame-mom encouragement. Because at some point he may realize how false it is, like the Easter Bunny. Kids are harsh, and cruel. They're making fun of him because they can. It's a childhood power trip. Does this really begin at 4? I remember being worried about teasing in my childhood, but I don't remember it starting so young.
I do believe in my mommy magic. I do believe that if I am confident that my love will protect him, that he will believe in me too. And I believe that if I tell him his hair is beautiful that he will have the confidence to believe in himself too. And a kid who believes in himself (I hope) is no fun for a bully.
*names have been changed to protect the innocent
At one point, he pulled the hood off of his face and told me that the boys at daycare had made fun of him because yesterday when he pulled off his hood his hair was sticking up in the back. I brought him to the bathroom and wet down his unruly hair, telling him that those boys were just jealous of his beautiful hair. I also told him that if that happened, he could go to the bathroom and wet his hair, just like I was doing.
Noah's been able to call my bluff on a lot of things in the past, but lately, I think he wants to believe. He wants to believe I can put magic on the doors and windows so bad guys can't get in. He wants to believe that I can tell his stuffed animals to come alive at night to take care of him. Maybe it's the age...I guess at 4 years old, they start to get more scared of things. But I think it's easier to be scared of ghosts than to be scared of the boys at daycare. The ghosts never show.
Maybe he can believe they are jealous of his hair. Or maybe that's just some stupid lame-mom encouragement. Because at some point he may realize how false it is, like the Easter Bunny. Kids are harsh, and cruel. They're making fun of him because they can. It's a childhood power trip. Does this really begin at 4? I remember being worried about teasing in my childhood, but I don't remember it starting so young.
I do believe in my mommy magic. I do believe that if I am confident that my love will protect him, that he will believe in me too. And I believe that if I tell him his hair is beautiful that he will have the confidence to believe in himself too. And a kid who believes in himself (I hope) is no fun for a bully.
*names have been changed to protect the innocent
posted by Auntie Mom @ 11:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home