"Privacy"

For the 1st through 3rd graders in my town Pokemon and Lego guys are currency.  They are traded on the bus, at lunch, at recess.  But as with all things like this, they cause a number of problems.  Cards and guys have been banned from the bus, by certain teachers, on certain days (but not on others).

That being said, when Turkey (7 years old and in 1st grade), came into my room this morning already dressed and told me he had taken care of his backpack already I knew something was up.

Every school night I get his backpack ready for school, and last night I left out his snow pants - it was going to rain the next day and the snow pants wouldn't be needed as there would be no outside recess.  Turkey however, insisted on adding the snow pants to his backpack.  No matter how many times I told him he didn't need them he didn't believe me.  I knew he was hiding something, and I couldn't decide if it was Pokemon or Lego guys.  So I started looking in the small pockets of his backpack, and only found the usual (phone numbers, his morning snack, and some gum).  When I went to check the large pocket he started screaming about his "privacy".  This is "my private property you can't look in here", "what about my rights" - please kid you're 7.  As I pulled out the snow pants, out came the Pokemon box; which was followed by the tears and the excuse "I need to show Matt, otherwise he won't believe I have a Pokemon tin.  I don't want Matt to think....."

Oh, poor Turkey you have much to learn about privacy and more to learn about what other people think.  Mornings like this make me fear the adolescent years.  It reminds me of the days he gets mad at me storms to his room sobbing "you don't understand me" - you are right I don't understand you, and I may never fully understand you but I am your mother and I know your ways and I know what makes you tick and I know when you are trying to hide something.  So hopefully, when the teenage years hit I still have this insight and those years won't be as rough (on both of us).