Tudors and Babysitters

So. Who knew the Tudors would cause so much drama around here last night.

Part I: Denial
K picks up the kids from school for me and brings them home. K was a history teacher for twenty four years, remember?

K: What did you learn about today?

Addie: Nothing. I don't remember.


Part II: Mom Arrives Home
I come home and try to pry more information out of Roo.

Me: Addie, what did you learn about in school?

Addie: I don't remember. I don't know.

Me: Was there anything good that happened today?

Addie: Yeah, it was all pretty good.

Me: Anything bad?

Addie: No, not really.


Part III: Bedtime Freakout
The kids are in bed, reading for a half hour. E is not home. I tuck them in, turn out lights. Ten minutes later, Addie appears in my room, crying.

Addie: Mom, I'm scared.

Me: What happened, honey?

Addie: I'm scared because we were role playing in Social Studies today and I was Bloody Mary. And everyone was teasing me. And they kept calling me that.

Me: Were they saying that dumb thing about the mirror? Kids have been saying that since I was a kid, honey. It's not real. I promise.

Ad: I know. Yeah. I mean... I'm not scared of that...

(Clearly, she is scared of that, but she's embarrassed to be scared of that.)

Me: Are you scared of being teased, then?

Ad: Yeah. I'm scared of being teased.

Big tears well up. Nine year old sadness, frustration ensues.


Part IV: Bedtime, Redux.
I go in to check on her after she's spent some time reading to calm down.

Me: What were you role-playing in class today, exactly?

Addie: You know, about Henry VIII. And all his wives. He had so many wives!

Me: You know I know that story, right? It's so interesting. And you know who taught it to me?

Addie: Who?

Me: K! We love that story. We've both watched books and movies and shows, all about that same thing. I promise. Ask her, she'll tell you the whole thing and probably show you pictures of everybody on the internet. She knows it way better than I do. She'd love to tell you.

Addie: Really? You guys know that story too? That's kinda what we were talking about today, you know, Henry VIII through Queen Elizabeth I.

Me: Roo. You know that's, like, what I teach too, right? Remember Shakespeare? He wrote all those plays then. And K was teaching that stuff for years. She knows that whole thing.

Addie: Oh.