Oh! It’s Your Tummy!
As many know, I recently started mentoring. My “mentee,” A, is in 2nd grade and she’s the sweetest thing.
But to be honest, I was scared. I was scared the kids would tease me. I felt the same way I did going to school every day in elementary school.
A ran ahead of me into her classroom and was announcing that she got a mentor. “I wished for a mentor and my wish came true!” she said to her friend, D. One of the boys looked up from his work to see the new mentor. “Ugh!” he said when he saw me and quickly stammered “Hi.”
I knew something like that was coming.
A and I worked on her homework and quickly finished it. She’s extremely bright. She asked me questions and she drew a picture of me and we had a good time.
Later, the class took a bathroom break. A stood up and pointed to my shirt. “What’s that?” she asked. I looked down, thinking she was talking about the Beatles lyrics on my shirt. “Oh! It’s your tummy!” she exclaimed, before I could say anything. “It doesn’t look like mine.” She rubbed her hands over her stomach.
I was quiet for a second. “Well, we’re all different” I finally said. “And differences are good. It’d be boring to be all the same.” She smiled and nodded.
I’ve met with A four times so far. She hugs me and waves frantically when she sees me coming. My body isn’t scary to her. I’m her friend. I’m her big friend. And I don’t mind being that.
As A told me “We should love ourselves because we’re all made perfect.”
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Aww. She sounds like a sweetie! It’s very inspiring that you are mentoring.
Thats just beautiful. After ten years in childcare as a very large person I have experienced my share of this sort of thing - and you’re right, as soon as you get them talking about how everybody is different and how interesting that makes people, they open right up and understand! They arent afraid to see the world like this, they haven’t yet been heavily corrupted by the media and narrowminded people around them.
The world could learn a lot if they started listening to our little people.
Very nice story. You’ve taught her many wonderful lessons, I can see-not all of them academic!
Kids are awesome like that. It’s only later, when friends and the media have a real influence over their beliefs, that the sad reality begins to set it. But kids as young as 5 are already aware of the whole “fat is bad” thing.
For the kid who said, “Ugh,” you should have just given him a big, squishy hug.
Peace,
Shannon