There are pros and cons to the age-integrated classrooms at Cole's Montessori school. Since he moved from the toddler room to the preschool side at age 3, Cole's classmates have ranged in age between 3-5 (sometimes even 6 when the kindergarten class joins them). This exposure to a wide array of social interaction has certainly had its advantages but of course, playing and listening to those children older than him has its downside as well.
We had to curb potty talk immediately when Cole picked up some not so nice use of those terms knowing who had contributed to that vocabulary since his finger still readily points in the direction of those who "say it all the time". He also sometimes tests the waters when running around outside or when playing tag, where I have to shout out not to grab or pull on kid's shirts. He retorts with "I know I know but (insert X and X from school) do it to me" I then have to totally sound like a parent by saying "I'm sorry Cole but you don't like that do you? So why would you do that to someone else?"
We hadn't talked much about the Easter Bunny yet since it was several weeks away but we had seen them setting up his booth at the mall. At that time, Cole had asked what they were doing. I replied with "they are setting up the picture backdrop so kids can have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny". He replied "oh okay, I don't want to do that!", which I already knew. Anyway, one morning after getting back from doing errands, there was mention of the Easter Bunny on SproutTV. He goes "mom, remember I don't want to go see the Easter Bunny, he is scary" I didn't want to make a big deal about it so I said "okay buddy, we don't have to go visit him, he'll still come and leave you an Easter basket" He looked at me funny and said "mom, the Easter Bunny is just a big person in a costume" I paused thinking over my response carefully, as I wasn't sure he was 100% believing that. He followed up with "I mean the Easter Bunny at the mall". I sighed in relief internally recognizing he still believed. I said "why do you think that?" He sheepishly answered "well (insert X from school) said that the Easter Bunny at the mall is silly and it isn't real". Again, now I had to answer thoughtfully, as I know he has looked over Santa and the Easter Bunny at the mall before and looked skeptical and really who came blame him, they are a far cry from the elaborate costumes that I see in the pictures of my sister and I with the aforementioned from my youth. The holidays have gotten so commercial, that the Easter Bunny and Santa have both lost their magic replaced with the cheap synthetic costumes that I wouldn't believe were real either if I were four again.
So I said, "well it really only matters what you think about him not what others may say about him. So what do you COLE, believe?" He goes "well, I don't know, maybe the Easter Bunny at the mall is just for babies and little kids". I said, "well that could be..." again hesitating to fill in his thoughts for him. He then changed direction and said "mom, we can still dye eggs and the Easter bunny will hide them, right?" I excitedly said, "absolutely!!".
I'm afraid he is on the fence as his brilliant mind begins to sadly recognize fact from fiction but hopefully for this year, he will accept a visit from the Easter Bunny and simply enjoy his jellybeans as any four year old should!
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