Often I have been asked if my daughter knows that she is different. While I have wondered that myself, I have never had an answer for that. Today I got an inkling that just maybe she is starting to realize the differences between her and her peers.
Last night my daughter announced that the next time she is at school she is going to sit at The Cool Table for lunch. Caught off guard, I remained speechless for what seemed like an eternity. Part of me was intrigued that she knew about social status in school, the other part was saddened that she felt like she was not part of the acceptable group. "Where is the cool table?" I asked her. "I don't know but I'm going to sit there." she said. I have to say I was impressed with her confidence. "Who sits there?" I inquired. “I don’t know” she shrugged. “But I’ll sit there by myself and eat.” Okay, she obviously didn’t grasp the concept of what a 'cool table' was.
Dying to know she even came about the idea of wanting to sit with the 'in crowd', I pushed for more information.
“How do you know about the cool table?” I asked. “It was on TV mom. The kids sat at the cool table and I want to too.” she said matter of factly. Thank you Disney Channel.
Am I wrong to have encouraged her to find that cool table at school and sit there no matter what? Will I be setting her up for failure if she is shunned by the popular kids or will I be building her confidence by showing her that she has no limits to hold her back? I guess we'll find out when she returns to school.