The Dress

Children rarely show any confusion. They are more likely to brazen it out; full of bravado. For example, as a lesson starter I set the discussion question, "What is an earworm?"

They didn't know but that didn't stop them.

"Ooo oooh, I've seen one. It's a little brown worm with six legs that lives in the sand and when you go on holiday and you lay down on the beach it crawls into your ear and lays eggs and eats your brain."

Today, however, I saw a child suffer a moment of genuine confusion.

We were walking down the corridor to the music room and this child was talking about anything that popped into their head, pleased as punch to be at the front of the line and have the teacher's full attention for once. Conversation started to dry up and a sense of panic settled in her brow. In these situations the policy for most little girls is to flatter the teacher.

"I really like your dress."

"Do you?"

"Yes, it's really pretty. My mum has that dress but she doesn't wear it anymore. "

"Doesn't she?"

"No, it's too big for her."

She looked me up and down.

"It fits you."

"Yes it does."

She scratched her head. "I spect that means you're fatter than my mum." She screwed up her left eye, tilted her head on one side  and said to herself, "I don't get it though 'cause she doesn't look fatter."