Katie has learned the fine art of using humor to defuse an argument. A couple of weeks ago, a boy in her class named Nicholas was teasing her, saying she was wearing a pajama top. Most of her clothes are hand-me-downs, so for all I know it actually is a pajama top. I'm pretty oblivious to fashion. It has a kitty on it and it's purple so it fits the strict criteria Katie has suddenly imposed upon her wardrobe since she began spending five days a week with other children. It's as if she has been slapped in the face with societal expectations using a fancy white glove girls were once expected to wear to church. I tell her all the time, "Wear what you want." And what she wants right now is to fit in with the other girls in her school. Understandable.
I also understand how Katie felt when someone implied she doesn't know the difference between night clothes and school clothes. Katie was annoyed. So much so, she told me about the pajama comment first thing as we were walking home from school. I asked her what she did when he teased her. She said, "I told him this is NOT a pajama top and walked away." Oh thank you Jesus, she turned the other cheek.
Then Tuesday Katie got to wear pajamas to school for Red Ribbon Week. When the half-day kids were dismissed, she hugged me and said, "Guess what? I walked up to Nicholas and said, 'Hey, I AM wearing pajamas today!' and he laughed. Nicholas is my friend now."
World leaders, pay attention to your five year olds. They might be wiser than you.
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