Life: not always sunshine and rainbows

The other day, Emily came home from school with some news.

"My friend Mary told me that if you go into the bathroom, turn off the lights and look in the mirror and say 'Bloody Mary' three times, Bloody Mary comes and chops your head off," she said. Wow. Not exactly the "I played tag at recess" comment I was expecting.

"And then Arden told me about the Titanic," she added -- before I'd even had a chance to address Bloody Mary.

"First of all, the Bloody Mary thing is not true," I told her. She asked if this person/ghost/whatever ever existed. No, I said.

"But Skyla said she is real! And Skyla is the smartest kid in our class! She even goes to second grade sometimes!"

I reiterated that as smart as Skyla is, there is not a ghost who can come in and chop heads off. As for the Titanic, she said she was told "it was a ship and it sank, and all the people turned to stone."

"It was a ship," I replied, "and it did sink. But it was a long time ago, and nobody turned to stone."

We chatted some more, but I could tell she was still antsy. So antsy, in fact, that she refused to go to the bathroom alone, and she didn't want the light off in her room that night. "Can you tell Ms. Ogle that they scared me?" she asked. I said I'd think about it, but later I decided that it wouldn't help. Unfortunately, she's at an age when she'll learn disturbing things from other kids.

It happens pretty regularly these days: My kids are told something at school about the world, and I have to confirm or deny the rumor. Sure, it's just part of growing up, but it's sad to see their picture-perfect view of life slowly becoming more realistic.

But luckily -- despite head-chopping ghosts and epic ship disasters -- Emily is still drawing pictures of rainbows and sunshine. Neither of us is ready to give that up.