My six year old daughter attends a moderately orthodox day school. The girls do have to wear dresses or skirts and shirts with sleeves and the boys wear kippot and tzitzits, but most of the mothers wear pants, not many cover their hair, and are very cool with our level of observance (ok more like lack of observance.) But there are some teachers and mothers who do cover their hair, but it's nothing that I would have thought much about. It's something that I am just use to seeing. I know the reason for it, but I never thought my daughter would ever take noticed.
I should have known better. My daughter notices EVERYTHING. She may not be actively or directly paying attention to a conversation, or her surroundings, but she is listening and observing and when you least expect it, it will come out.
About a month ago, we were in the car and my daughter pipes up and says,
"Mommy, you're suppose to have your hair covered."
"I am, why am I suppose to cover my hair?"
"Because you are a married, Jewish woman, and all Jewish women are suppose to cover their hair when they get married."
"Natalie, how do you know that? Did you learned that at school?"
"No, mommy, but Morah (teacher) Dina and Morah Becca cover their hair and they are married."
The next day when I was at her school, I was kidding around in the office about what she had said and the Rabbi, looked at me and said " Well, she didn't learn that from us."
I told him that I believe him and that she is just a very observant child and no doubt that she came to that conclusion on her own.
Well, like I said, that was about a month ago and I haven't heard anything more from her about having to cover my hair.
But, it doesn't mean she is not thinking about it. As we were cleaning up her room today, Natalie stopped, picked up her beret, and went over to play with her doll.
She said, "this is a Baltimore Girl."
"Huh? A Baltimore girl? What do you mean?"
Just then, she put the beret on her doll's head and covered all her hair. Then she said, "If you are a girl from Baltimore, then you cover your head."
I didn't say anything, just giggled to myself. I can't wait to share this new one with her teachers and the Rabbi.
Anyone interested in discussing a shidduch (match)? She's a girl from a poor and shrimp-eating family, but she is very bright, quite beautiful, and I think will be covering her head when she gets married.
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9 comments:
Aww.
I have no kids and I'm not Jewish, so a shidduch is out of the question. But I cover my head for different spiritual reasons and think it merits an 'aww'.
That's cute! I wonder if it's the school my sister runs the office of... sounds like it might be. Great school.
Parcequilfaut: She definitely keeps me on my toes and gives me plenty to write about.
Ezzie: I doubt if it is the same. But it really is a great school.
What a sharp kid! You know, they have a line of American Girl dolls and Jewish dolls named Gali, which are similar.
I think you and your family should market Baltimore Girls...New York Girls...Cleveland Girls...Montreal Girls...New Jersey Girls...Toronto Girls...Los Angeles Girls...
Wow, how perceptive of her!
Ezzie: I don't think it's the school you are thinking of.
TP - what a great idea. That would be really funny. This Baltimore girl has blond hair and facial hair (when Nat was younger, she scribble ink on her chin.) Can you only imagine the prototypes. Each doll not only comes with wigs and hats and a Bal'more accent, but tweetzers and an electrolysis machine too.
Essie - the funny thing, is that we are not from Baltimore. So she really must be perceptive because I am not sure how she knows this. But from what her Frum Aunt in Richmond told me, she is right in on.
Guess it's a different one.
Sorry Ezzie, you sound so disappointed.
lol :) No, I just read the post wrong the first time...
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