You know how really young kids tend to over generalize?
For example, when they're learning to talk, and they realize that some words are pluralized by putting an"s" on the end. The next thing you know, they're adding "s" to the end of any word.
Mooses
Mouses
Stuffs
You get the idea.
Our little guy has been doing the same thing in his classroom with the Montessori peace curriculum.
With some humorous results.
(okay, so the teacher doesn't always find this stuff funny, but hey...)
So in the classroom we have these little yellow felt circles (love lights). If Johnny is feeling particularly good today, because he learned something new, someone helped him out, or complimented him, he can wear one of these nifty little love lights to show everyone that his inner light is shining brightly.
(ours wears his love light CONSTANTLY)
If someone does something to you , causing your love light to dim, you take them the peace rose and give it to them. Next comes the "I" statement: Gus, when you ripped my paper, I felt really sad."
Evidently one day it seemed like the whole world was against the little man, because he was handing that peace rose out left and right.
Over generalizing.
Evidently, handing out the peace rose doesn't quite cut it when you're handing it to the teacher.
Another aspect of the curriculum involves the red road of peace and the black road of difficulty.
The choices you make determine which path you're walking on.
Seems it's not always evident in the classroom if our little guy is "getting" that concept.
But he is.
How do I know?
It's showing up at home. With some hysterical applications.
Take last week. Hubby is at home alone with the little guy. Time for bed. (translation: time for meltdown)
Little guy grabs some toys and tries to take off running. Hubby, who had learned of the red and black roads, decided to implement, but can't quite remember the correct wording.
So he improvises.
"Looks like you have a choice, are you going to walk the red road of peace, or the black road of bad boys?"
Child rolls eyes and says: "Daddy, it's not the black road of bad boys, it's the black road of DIFFICULTY!"
"Well, which road are you taking?"
"The red road of peace." And he puts down the toys and calmly goes into the bedroom to get jammies on.
Last night, we are driving home from dinner and a trip to get a Halloween costume. Negotiations have begun in the backseat about playing with a new Mr Potato Head, and a dress up costume when we arrive home.
Playing is not an option, since it is getting late, and a bath needs to be taken before bed.
Little guy tries to coerce playtime from Dad, who reiterates that it will be bath and bedtime.
In the backseat, the head droops down and the lower lip comes out.
Mommy is called for backup.
"Mommy, I need your help. Daddy is walking the black road of difficulty, and it's making my love light very dim."
Two adults in the front seats try, without much success, to hold back the giggles.
I wonder what Maria Montessori would say...

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