"Mama Beth tells me to just let mean words bounce off my shell," Antonio was explaining to Crystel. Jody, who was driving, looked at me. We were on our way to church. "See, you put a shell all around you. Like a turtle. Then you can't be hurt. Like when my friend Carla says something mean it doesn't get in me."
I'm always surprised when the children can repeat something so accurately and I am not even sure they heard me much less understood. Days had passed since I had suggested this to Antonio.
Antonio probably had his shell up at 2:30 this morning when I told him that I didn't like that part of him that wanted us to change his pajama top to match his pajama bottoms when his shirt was not the wet part. The shell is also effective against moms.
