The first thing Christian said when I picked him up from school yesterday was, “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said without thinking. Wait a minute. “What are you sorry about?”
“I sort of lost my coat today.”
We spent the next 20 minutes walking around the playground, the halls, and rummaging through the Lost & Found in the gym. No coat.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
“No.”
“Angry?”
“No. We just need to find it.”
“Disappointed?”
“No.”
“Frustrated?”
“Yes, I’m frustrated, but I know you didn’t lose it on purpose. It’s going to be fine.”
“So, you’re mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. I’m frustrated.”
“Well, frustrated is a metamorphosis of mad and disappointed, so you’re partly mad,” he said while using his hands as a surprisingly effective visual aid.
Um.
I’m pretty sure I never used the word “metamorphosis” when I was seven.
I guess all the video games and cartoons are paying off.
