Hangin' out...

10 minutes in society and a person will notice we're all different.

Skin, hair, eye color, body shape.

We actually had a discussion about it the other day when one of the kids was talking about a classmate who was 'very brown'. Another boy gasped and said, "That's racist!!!"

Of course it's not racist to describe a person's color, especially when there aren't very many children in our school who are black. Easier to narrow it down.

Bill* was just trying to tell the other boys about someone in his class and couldn't think of a way to say it.

There's a big buzz being generated right now by this article. Go read. It's about what's available for girl children to wear vs what's out there for boys. I ran into issues with it when Lyssa was small, too. I ended up buying boy's t shirts, jeans and shorts for her for quite awhile. I did some sewing for her, too. She wasn't much of a princess type, and didn't like the sparkly and pink, pink, pink.

The girls I have in my program are all shapes and sizes. One of them really dresses like an old lady, but the clothing she wears is all her choice, her parents are quite willing to buy her what she's happy wearing.

A couple of them wear a ton of glittery, shimmery shirts and leggings.

Boots and sparkly sandals are a big thing right now, too.

When we're out on the playground, the girls who prefer athletic shoes and comfortable clothing are the ones out running on the field. The sparkly girls are the ones in the swings or sitting on the play structure chatting. It's actually really interesting to watch.

A couple of my girls are very round. They're active and run and jump rope and play all day long, but there's a great deal that can be blamed on heredity. They're round, and so are their parents.

Doesn't matter, of course. They all need the same care.

But I can't figure out what moms are thinking when they dress the round kid in stuff that's too small. Obviously you don't want to dress your kid in a sack, but when their skin is hanging over their waistband and they are showing a whole lot of buttcrack when they sit down, I think maybe you should re-evaluate what you're sending them to school in.

This year I don't have any kids who've made an issue of it, but in the past I've had children who aren't very nice about it. Saying things like, "Vanessa, your fat is hanging out." Insensitive, and I work hard to sit and talk with kids who say things like that to try and help them understand why it's not nice or appropriate to just blurt it out.

But as a mom myself, I would want to make sure my child isn't wearing something that would get him/her laughed at.

There really isn't a huge point to this, I would certainly never allow anyone to tease another kid about what they're wearing or what's showing. And the parents of the children in my program are very nice people. All of them. They love and value their children, take good care of them, and obviously want to do what's best for them.

It was just what was on my mind this afternoon after watching one of my smaller girls continually tugging her shirt down and pants up. She was wearing skin tight leggings and a shirt that was about three sizes small and trying to be active. Her clothing was hindering her from freedom in motion and choices of activities.

Is it a big deal? I know that kids can be awfully mean. I recall quite a lot of it from my own school days, too. Had some chubby friends and heard all the jokes.

I don't know. Just rambling.

What are your thoughts?