Yesterday I tried to make a point with Isaiah.
I'm afraid he totally missed it.
We were watching tv when a commercial came on with a very attractive woman, and he made some sort of "Ooooh la la!" comment. I asked him why he said that, and he responded by saying that he likes pretty girls. I tried to seize this teachable moment by asking him if he liked girls that weren't so pretty. He stated that no, he just likes pretty girls. I again tried to talk about inner beauty and how sometimes even if people aren't so pretty on the outside they are really very beautiful on the inside. He still stood beside his pretty girl statement. A light bulb went off in my head, and I tried to relate my point to him by saying, "some boys might not think Johanna is pretty, and they would miss out on knowing how wonderful she is because they wouldn't talk to her because she isn't pretty enough." Our six year old rounded on me, indignation sparking from his blue eyes, "Johanna is TOO pretty!!! She is beautiful!! No boy better ever say she's not pretty!" I tried to recap by saying, I know that J is beautiful, and HE knows that she is beautiful, but there have been some boys...Isaiah would have none of it. Told me he was done, and boys who didn't like "jononna" were stupid. I hugged him and we went on with our day.
I got home from work last night, and sat talking with Johanna who had just returned from a weekend in Maryland. We chatted about her time away, friends she had been with, new people she had met, and the upcoming holiday weekend. Quietness engulfed the house as we sat for a moment, then she said: "Isaiah told me that you said boys don't think I'm pretty, but he thinks I'm the most beautiful girl ever." I stared at her in astonishment, horrified, and quickly began to explain to her the context of that conversation. We laughed together, but I could see her mind sorting through the boys she's known, and then shrugging off the insecurities by remembering Isaiah's assertation.
He so totally missed my point, I'm afraid Johanna might have too.
Sometimes I think teachable moments are over rated.
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