Baby Ballerinas and Their Toys

For a minute, close your eyes and picture a four-year old. Or perhaps try to remember your 4-year old self.....done yet?
For me, this exercise is rather easy as I spend my afternoons with little kids that age quite frequently since coming to Singapore. Yes, I am their ballet teacher but also more like their temporary "mama" as they look at me with huge eyes, run up to me and give random hugs,  and blurt out the most random things about their lives in the middle of dancing.

At four years old, a child is barely all there. Some are- but for the most part they are in their own imaginative worlds and not completely aware of what's going on. Which is why my experience this afternoon needs to be recorded:

Little M(for privacy reasons I will use this name abbreviation- as you read on you will see why...she may be reading this!) finished her class with me and was waiting for her mama. Poor thing...her mom always comes 20+ minutes late to pick her up, so she sits in the studio very sad and scared while I teach the next group of baby ballerinas.

Today, I noticed little M playing with some electronic gadget. Looking over, I saw it was the latest i-phone, and she was pressing some numbers on it.
Completely astounded, I asked what she was doing...she answered "calling mommy". I couldn't keep from asking several questions, trying to comprehend what on earth a four-year-old is doing with an i-phone. This fact slightly sickens me I will admit. I was itching to take a photo of this uncanny phenomena, but alas, my phone is not technologically sufficient enough to have a camera. This fact greatly amused me as well- here I was wanting to take a photo to show the world how crazy things have become, and yet I am using such a simple phone that can't even snap a picture!

I turned to the 3-year olds I was now teaching, and asked with a slight bit of fear "Do any of YOU have i-phones?" Luckily, not yet. Although one girl's friend does have one. And another girl is getting one in 2 months.

So..the 3-year old ballet class goes on, with Little M fixated on her phone in the corner. And then we hear it ringing. This is getting out of control. There is a sign on the studio door- no cell phones allowed! But Little M can't read. How is she supposed to know phones aren't allowed in ballet?
The 3-year olds are getting very ansy, I cannot control 10 of them PLUS an i-phone PLUS a now very sad and very terrified Lil M. So, I tell her all calls must be answered outside of the studio. And so out she goes to answer her call.

And I have now been informed by my boss, in a very matter of fact way that No, it's not strange or crazy at all. All the girls that age have them.

Who knows what I will see next- I don't even want to imagine!