My own Mr. Brave

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I don’t know if you’ve ever read those Mr. Men and Little Miss books, but I loved them when I was little, and then I re-loved them when I started teaching with my friend R who used them as a creative writing inspiration for her fourth graders (a project I happily stole to use with my own classes).  And now I am loving them again as Sebastian discovers them for the first time.

One of his favorites is Mr. Brave, who it turns out is brave in all kinds of ways.  Alas, he is also a little bit afraid of heights and at one point in the book points out that the tightrope he is on is fraying.  “Oh calamity!  Oh help!” he shouts.  (See why I love them?)  His companion, Little Miss Somersault, replies, “Be brave, Mr. Brave.”

And a mantra was born.

Sebastian – like all small children, I expect – has his own fears and worries.  They are toddler-sized to me, but to him they are enormous.  They began with getting his hair cut, then fuzzies in the bathtub, and now also include having his face washed or having Mama leave for any reason.  He used to cry, scream, plead (those  teary “puh-LEASE”s would break anyone’s heart).  But now, as soon as he starts to whine or scrunch up his face to howl, I tell him to “be brave, Mr. Brave.”

Magic.

He steels himself for whatever is coming and with maybe only a whimper or two…

he survives it.

Bravely.