Friday, February 13, 2009

No bad luck, but a strange day

Today was the day for weird conversations.

So, the girls and I were walking home from school today and I asked Savannah "How was your party?" because today was their 100th day of school and they were having some sort of celebration. Her class did Valentine's Day yesterday just so it wouldn't interfere with the 100th Day Celebration. Here is the rest of the conversation:

S: We didn't have a party.
Me: You didn't?
S: No.
Me: That is bologna. Mr. L (Sydney's teacher, who I helped out with his party today) said he saw you guys having chips and juice boxes.
S: There was cake too, with pink frosting.
Me: So you had cake and chips and juice and watched a movie (which I know because her teacher popped in to tell Sydney's teacher the channel it was on) but that isn't a party?
S: No.
Me: Let's see, cake, chips, juice, and a movie. That sure sounds like a party to me.

I think she was just being ornery because she is a little jealous that I always go help in Sydney's class and never in hers. I've tried to explain to her that her teacher has another teacher in the room with her, so she doesn't need help, whereas, Sydney's teacher does not have another teacher but she isn't too impressed with that explanation. I've also tried to tell her that I'm sure that some year she will have a teacher that needs help and Sydney won't but that is just too far in the future for her to contemplate. So next I tell her "That's life kid, welcome to the real world, where you don't always like what you get. Better get used to it." No wonder they never want to grow up.

Much later, after they had eaten dinner and had dessert and were watching a little TV Sydney came in where I was on the computer and we had a strange conversation.

S: Mom, I want to have some Cheetos, but I don't want my teeth to fall out
Me: (??!!) Honey, what are you talking about?
S: Well, we watched this movie in P.E. and it scared me.
Me: Sweetie, that movie is probably talking mostly about sweets and anyway if you brush your teeth good after you eat your teeth will be fine.
S: I wish there weren't such things as bad things that got in your teeth and you had to brush them out.
Me: Well, that would be nice but that's not how it is so we just have to be sure and brush good.

Okay, a little explanation here. From what I can gather they have seen a movie in P.E. several times now about tooth decay. Evidently, this movie tells them that all snacks are the devil and if you eat snacks all your teeth will rot out and that will hurt. Okay, that might just be what they are getting out of it. I'm hopeful that it is really just a cartoon that is trying to teach them to limit snacking and brush and floss, but it seems that they are both (Sydney especially) feeling traumatized by this. I can really tell that she is traumatized because she won't eat Cheetos and most of the time she would live on Cheetos if possible. Later, she wanted me to come and watch her brush her teeth. I'm starting to sense a pattern here.

Me: Why can't you start brushing without me?
S: I want you with me
Me: Why?
S: Because of that movie, and remember we didn't floss last night because you said we were too late going to bed.
Me: Okay, but why is this movie freaking you out so much, what is so scary about it?
S: I don't know how to explain it but it just freaks me out. It just freaks me out all the way to my heart.

Suddenly I'm sure that I will have to go to the school and have a talk with them about this movie because all of the pieces are fitting together and I'm realizing that they are really freaked out about this. When your 6 year old is begging you to floss alarm bells start going off. I'm realizing that they have been completely anal about the tooth brushing and flossing all week, I'm remembering that Sydney has woken me up with nightmares two nights this week, I'm remembering our earlier conversation about the Cheetos, and now this little 6 year old voice is saying "It freaks me out, it freaks me out all the way down to my heart". Holy cow, what the heck are they showing these kids?

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