July 29, 2004 - Thursday
Today was Hat Day at Harry's school and I went looking in the closet for his blue cap. But before I found it Harry declared he wanted to wear mommy's black winter hat, a knit hat with poofy fake fur all the way around the edge. It was very funny and he looked very cute and gleefully sat in his carseat with it on all the way to school. Then, just after we walked in the breezeway, he must have had an attack of self-doubt. He took the hat off and declared he didn't want to wear it. I tried to reason with him -- that the hat looked great, that the other kids would think he was being very funny, that other kids had hats on -- but he was stuck. He went in and immediately put it in his cubby. I tried again, telling him the kids would laugh, but it didn't work.

After school Harry told me that, at the request of a teacher, he did eventually put the hat back on and that the kids did, indeed, think it was funny and laughed. Thankfully, it was just what I said would happen and so I tried to reinforce with Harry that he had made a very good and funny choice with that hat this morning, that he was a smart and clever boy, and that he just need to be confident with his decisions and believe in himself. I think when I said it to Harry it came across a little being than it sounds written here, but it's certainly a lot easier said than done, especially with an introspective kid like Harry.


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