Real Vs. Pretend

Two days ago, we saw a FANTASTIC rendition of Charlotte's Web, put on by the 5th/6th grade class at Sunfield (Waldorf school). Tzivia has communicated a desire to perform on stage for a long time now (well, a long time for a 3yo anyway), so it was especially great to show her other kids rockin it on stage.

Charlotte's Web SPOILER ALERT...


Charlotte dies at the end. I knew it was coming, but I was still bawling, even after the standing ovation was over.

Anyway, this morning over breakfast, Tzivia asked me,

"When Charlotte died, did the kid who was playing Charlotte die too?"

I was happy to be able to give her some good news.
 

It was a good reminder, though, of how unclear the line still is between real and pretend (even though my kid is super-clever and we talk about everything a lot lot lot). She's always assuring me that pretend things she does are "just pretend, Mama," and Charles thought she was doing it for me (like, that she thinks I care a lot about real vs. pretend, because I'm always talking about it, so she wants to reassure me).

Today, at library time, Teacher Jeanne did adorable peas-in-a-pod crafts with us, and most of the kids were drawing little faces on their peas. I asked Tzivia if she was going to, and she said, "No, because real peas don't have faces."

I let her know she was definitely right, but she could still draw faces on them if she wanted (like the book Little Green Peas, which she loves), but she was adamant today that plants should remain faceless. 

How does this discovery of real vs. pretend play out with you and your kids?