(no subject)
"I need to talk to you."
It was hard to pluck up the courage to approach Mrs Wolf after the class. It's been six weeks, and Gil is thriving, and Guppy's nervous that he's going to ruin it.
The dance teacher looks around. "Yes?"
"Gil... it wasn't clear from the start but, um, you know he's a boy, right?" Guppy says, watching his son still doing the cool down wriggles. "I just realised you called him a 'madchen' and I looked that up and that's a maiden and I wasn't sure whether he was going to get kicked out."
Mrs Wolf shakes her head, apparently unsurprised.
"Of course he won't be." she says. "On one condition."
"What's that?" Guppy asks.
"You never expect me to treat him differently for being a boy." Mrs Wolf says. "We have no blue t-shirts in stock at the moment in his size."
"That's fine, he likes pink." Guppy says. "I think he really likes dance too. He has three noisy older siblings and it's nice for him to do something for him. But this is totally new for me, so if he takes to it, what do I do? Like what age would he need to do sort of structured dance?"
"Just come to class." Mrs Wolf says. "I do music with movement classes until four, then I take them on to ballet."
"Do you teach any other boys?" Guppy asks.
"Yes, a couple. No special snowflakes." Mrs Wolf says. "I expect as much of my boys as my girls. No more, no less." She tilts her head. "You thought I would throw him out? Really?"
"No, but I felt bad for misleading you."
"You didn't." Mrs Wolf says. "It's hard to tell at his age."
The other parents, overhearing the conversation, give him and Gil a bit of a look. Gil is running round with Esme-Rose, a little girl about his age whose mother appears to be taking this Very Seriously (with notepads and everything). Esme-Rose's mum raises an eyebrow at Guppy as he comes back over.
"Well I think it's wrong." she says.
"Excuse me?" Guppy asks.
"Passing him off like a girl. Dressing him like that. Painting his nails. He'll grow up confused." Esme-Rose's mum says.
Guppy looks at her, then laughs suddenly.
"He's not even two. He can wear anything he wants. We offer him a choice of one colour or another in the morning. And right now, he wants to wear pink like his sisters and pink like his new friends at dance school. He laughs when we paint his nails. And it's cute." he scoops up Gil. "I never said he was a girl, you all just assumed and I was too shy to say."
The other mum humphs. Guppy continues.
"I have four kids. This is the least dramatic thing a parent has ever had to call me out on. So forgive me if I don't get very excited."
It was hard to pluck up the courage to approach Mrs Wolf after the class. It's been six weeks, and Gil is thriving, and Guppy's nervous that he's going to ruin it.
The dance teacher looks around. "Yes?"
"Gil... it wasn't clear from the start but, um, you know he's a boy, right?" Guppy says, watching his son still doing the cool down wriggles. "I just realised you called him a 'madchen' and I looked that up and that's a maiden and I wasn't sure whether he was going to get kicked out."
Mrs Wolf shakes her head, apparently unsurprised.
"Of course he won't be." she says. "On one condition."
"What's that?" Guppy asks.
"You never expect me to treat him differently for being a boy." Mrs Wolf says. "We have no blue t-shirts in stock at the moment in his size."
"That's fine, he likes pink." Guppy says. "I think he really likes dance too. He has three noisy older siblings and it's nice for him to do something for him. But this is totally new for me, so if he takes to it, what do I do? Like what age would he need to do sort of structured dance?"
"Just come to class." Mrs Wolf says. "I do music with movement classes until four, then I take them on to ballet."
"Do you teach any other boys?" Guppy asks.
"Yes, a couple. No special snowflakes." Mrs Wolf says. "I expect as much of my boys as my girls. No more, no less." She tilts her head. "You thought I would throw him out? Really?"
"No, but I felt bad for misleading you."
"You didn't." Mrs Wolf says. "It's hard to tell at his age."
The other parents, overhearing the conversation, give him and Gil a bit of a look. Gil is running round with Esme-Rose, a little girl about his age whose mother appears to be taking this Very Seriously (with notepads and everything). Esme-Rose's mum raises an eyebrow at Guppy as he comes back over.
"Well I think it's wrong." she says.
"Excuse me?" Guppy asks.
"Passing him off like a girl. Dressing him like that. Painting his nails. He'll grow up confused." Esme-Rose's mum says.
Guppy looks at her, then laughs suddenly.
"He's not even two. He can wear anything he wants. We offer him a choice of one colour or another in the morning. And right now, he wants to wear pink like his sisters and pink like his new friends at dance school. He laughs when we paint his nails. And it's cute." he scoops up Gil. "I never said he was a girl, you all just assumed and I was too shy to say."
The other mum humphs. Guppy continues.
"I have four kids. This is the least dramatic thing a parent has ever had to call me out on. So forgive me if I don't get very excited."