Pretty Princess

Domino’s class recently wrote poetry, with watercolor art work to accompany it, and it’s proudly on display in the classroom windows. I don’t know if the kids were given a topic, but who did all the other kids write about? Their moms. Who did mine write? Well, Domino wrote his first love sonnet:

To Princess Love Domino

You are nice.
You make me happy.
You are my friend.
You help me.
You are beautiful.

..with a watercolor of stick figures holding hands with a rainbow...

“Princess” is Domino’s best friend at school. She’s not the person I would have chosen for him as a best friend. In fact, I’ve done much to separate them. He’s always been drawn to a single friend, always a girl, and then completely immerses himself in their friendship. It’s never been a “boyfriend girlfriend” relationship – just a boy and a girl who are friends. Heck, romance isn’t anywhere in Domino’s brain yet. He’d no sooner watch High School Musical than eat a plate full of broccoli.

Anyways, as I was saying, he’s had this friend who I have disliked since pretty much day one. She’s a pretty Princess of a girl, comes to school with matching hair and jewelry accessories, often wearing a “pretty party dress” instead of sensible school clothes, and immediately started referring to Domino as “her boyfriend”. She drags him around, gets upset when he plays with other girls, and within a few weeks of school starting when I told Domino to put his clothes in the laundry basket, he angrily announced “That’s it! I’m breaking up with you!” Oh.no.he.did.int.

The teacher immediately picked up on the problem and has done her best to separate them when possible. She moved the girl’s desk to the other side of the room, makes sure they are in different work groups and encourages Domino to engage with other kids. But, it’s a public school and kids can sit next to who they want at lunch, and play with who they want at recess, and the chances of keeping these kids on opposite sides of the playground is slim to none.

I arrived at school a bit early for pick up today. The kids had gone on a field trip to the county library and had come back earlier than they expected so the kids were burning off some end of day energy on the playground. From my seat in the car I could watch all the kids running around and playing. Domino seemed a bit out of it, possibly queasy from the field trip bus ride or possibly his Sensory Integration Disorder causing havoc on a sunny day, so he was just hanging out observing everyone from the sidelines. A different girl came over and took Domino’s hat off his head and taunted him with it. He just sat there. She then took the hat and threw it, still taunting him. And he sat there. I wanted to leap out of my car and throttle the girl. Suddenly out of nowhere, Princess came swooping in like a ninja and gave that bully a shove, gave the girl a piece of her mind, picked up the hat, turned back around to give another verbal beating to the girl, gave the hat to Domino, and then sat next to him with her arm around his back. They sat there together for about 5 minutes until it was time to head back to class, where they walked hand in hand.

I felt like Grinch when his heart grows 3 sizes bigger. I just wanted to give Princess the biggest hug ever. And thank her for being such a good friend. And then compliment her on her pretty dress.