So I ordered Elliot his first biography from one of those Scholastic Book order forms. I remember loving those order forms as a kid. New books just seemed almost as good as candy.
Today his book came. A biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. After reading it and talking about it he asked me, 'mama, was that bad man who shot Marfin Lufer King white?'
Yes, he was, I answered. He thought for a minute, and obviously started worrying a bit about one of his black teachers. 'Mama, is that bad man going to shoot Miss Quiana?'
I assured him that the bad man was dead, and that no one would be shooting Miss Quiana. But as I read him the story, I kept trying to think about it from a 4 year old's perspective. How exactly do you explain to Elliot that other kids couldn't have played at the same playground, gone to the same school or eaten at the same restaurant?
What made me happy was that he wasn't as much concerned about the policy or the injustice of the past. He was just worried about someone he loved - Miss Quiana.
The day finally arrived. Elliot was decked out in dragon splendor. Here he is at home, and also at school with his friend, Matthew. He was VERY excited to eat people's heads off. It was a lovely event, with dancing and food, princesses and fairies. Click here to even see the dancing!
So we're still working on the dragon. The paint had to dry. But Elliot came home obviously thinking of princes and princesses. He really really wanted Bug to be Cinderella. But she resisted, and stuck to her guns as Snow White. So he finally asked me, quite sheepishly, mama, can I be Cinderella? Of course! I said. But he insists that he is actually a PRINCE in his Cinderella outfit. Perfect.
My kitchen shears will never be the same. The pieces have been cut. Can you figure out what goes where?
I am not crafty. I do not create cute little home made presents for Christmas or decorate picture frames. Scrapbooking gives me nightmares. I will never own pinking shears. I'm not even sure what those are.
Drama. That's what Bug is about lately. She is seriously either laughing or screaming; there's not a lot in between. What continues to surprise me about Bug is how amazingly articulate she is compared to where Elliot was at her age. Last night I heard her screaming about 4am. When I checked on her she said, 'mama, I get in bed with you.' I told her no, she would sleep in her bed. Then she told me, 'I scared in my bed. No monsters?' 
So I ordered Elliot his first biography from one of those Scholastic Book order forms. I remember loving those order forms as a kid. New books just seemed almost as good as candy.
