My Daughter is a Colourist

13 February 2010, 16:21

It started relatively innocuously with a preference for pink. The insistence before creche that she was to be “all covered in pink”.

Then at Mini Maestros one day, the kids were singing a song that required flicking colour ribbons. Scout received a yellow ribbon. Frankie, the pint-sized sister of a friend, got the coveted pink one. I turned to Maddie, Frankie’s mum for a quick exchange and when I turned back, not 5 seconds later, Scout had… the pink ribbon and Frankie was happily twirling the yellow. Scout looked over at me with a cheeky grin on her face. OK.

At the Mini Maestros Christmas concert, about a month later, the kids were standing in front of 200 odd people about to begin their first song and Kathy, the MM teacher, gave all the kids coloured bells. Scout got a blue one. Her friend Leo got the pink. I watched the scene from the front row, wondering what mayhem would ensue. She looked disparagingly at the blue bell for a few seconds, then placed it on the ground, while the other kids got ready to start.

Now, I’m not a theatre mum by any stretch (well, not yet anyway) but there were people watching and my daughter was point-blank refusing to join in if she had to use the blue bell. So (and I cringe writing this) I went up to the stage and quickly negotiated with Leo to swap the bell. He shrugged, agreed and the exchange was set. Scout continued with the song.

The colourism has not been restricted to the musical arena though. The latest episode occurred at her swimming lesson last week. The kids were using noodles for one of the activities and the instructor, oblivous to Scout’s colourist tendencies gave her a yellow noodle. Scout looked at it, then promptly put it on the side of the pool and wouldn’t do the activity until she had the pink noodle.

I giggled inside, but something sinister niggled at me. I know a preference for pink is something a lot of girls go through, but surely this was bordering on pathological? Was I somehow unwittingly encouraging my daughter to discrminate based on colour? Cue rainbow education and a subtle phasing out of the sacred pink. Wish me luck.

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