they learn so quickly...

Today at lunch, I was trying to convince Emma Sophie and Paul Luis that their rice and fish would taste much better if they put some of the delicious sauce on top. Emmi heartily agreed, while Paul Luis of course wanted nothing of the sauce. Emma said "if you don´t eat sauce on your rice, you aren´t a real boy", and Paul Luis quickly retorted "you´re not a real girl if you DO like sauce with rice!!" and back and forth. As the debate moved from silly teasing to Emmi´s fierce indignation, I interrupted and asked "Emmi, who decided this? How do you know that Paul Luis isn´t a real boy if he doesn´t like his food with the sauce?" There was a short pause, and then she said with confidence "OBAMA said so." I couldn´t help myself from bursting into laughter and tears, which of course infuriated Emmi. She would not back down. "He REALLY did, Kate. It´s not funny!! Obama said on the television that if you don´t like rice with sauce you aren´t a real boy!! AND he said that girls who like their rice with sauce are real girls - really good girls." Paul Luis soon caught on, and said that when HE watched the television Obama said the opposite. With time the debate fizzled, but I kept chuckling to myself about it all day. All the children here know what a big deal Obama is lately, as he´s all over the television and newspapers, and they´re learning about these events in school. Paul Luis and Emmi also know I´m excited about the new president, because they were with me while watching the Inauguration, and their parents have reinforced over and over again how important that day was in history. So apparently now the children think he is a big super hero, and that everything he says is FACT. So if I don´t believe something the children say, they´ve decided now that maybe I´ll believe them if Obama said so!!! I must give them points for original creativity... right?

Oh, funny kids. They keep my life interesting.