“Mommy, Sari said her parents are essential and you’re not.”
“What?” I sputtered, shocked at the words coming out of my seven-year-old’s mouth. I put down the knife I had been using to chop potatoes and turned to face my child. She was the very picture of doe-eyed innocence, which made me suspicious. Less than a week ago I had peeked into her room and had seen her, in front of her mirror, trying out different innocent looks.
I took a deep breath to calm myself before using the time-honored brow-raise method to request more information.
“Sari, she’s in my class,” the munchkin explained in response. “She said her parents are important and you aren’t.”
I blinked several times as I thought through that statement. I knew many, if not all children, were having a tough time with virtual learning. It wouldn’t be the first time a child used bragging as a coping mechanism.
“Is Sari the pale girl with red hair?” I asked, as I mentally ran through the list of my daughter’s classmates.
“No, that’s Sara. I don’t know what Sari looks like. She says cameras make her twitch and she doesn’t like to twitch so no one is allowed to ask her to turn it on. She uses a drawing of a turtle instead.”
Instantly, a picture formed in my head. It was of a bratty girl, used to getting what she wants, when she wants it. A bully in the making, who would, of course, be frustrated that online school made it harder for her to gain full ascendency over her classmates.
“Does anyone call her turtle girl?” I asked, honestly curious.
“That would be bullying, Mommy,” my daughter answered with a roll of her eyes. “That’s not allowed.”
“But it’s okay to tell people their parents aren’t essential?”
“We’re studying history,” my youngster explained, and this time I could tell her doe-eyes were sincere. “Teacher said some people being essential and some not is a fact, so it’s okay.”
“I love you, munchkin!” I said as I pulled my little daughter into a hug. “But we need to talk.”
She was only seven, but she was smart. With a little patience, I knew I could help her understand the difference between virtual logic, and logic based on reality.
An important task for any parent.
Not essential. Not likely!