I'm in ranting mode

The nuns are coming. But not now, as I have ants in my pants about something else entirely.

Emma is having her adaptation week at nursery. So far, so good: we have been 3 times for half an hour, and each time I stay with her. Easy does it, here in the Land of Lindt. So far my only anxiety is that my Elf is the youngest kid by about 6 months, and very much the runt of the litter both in age and size. When there is pushing and throwing and general naughtiness (but totally normal for 18mth-2.5 yr olds) I fret a bit about her physical safety. And I wonder how she'll get on with the French. But I think she'll be OK, and she was giggling with the rest of them and happy as a lark today.

Then came story time.

It was a story about "Les Mamans" by Someone with a Degree in Psycholgy phD. xyz. etc. It started OK, if a bit boring and stating the obvious rather: "Mummies are good to us, they feed us and change our nappies." ( I mean, yawn! Where is The Gruffalo when you need him?) Then on the last page, there was a picture of a toddler boy dressed as a groom and getting married to the mummy with the explanation "Sometimes we might want to marry our mummies. But we mustn't; it's not allowed."

Is it helpful to refer to the Oedipus/Electra complex (I forget which is which: I don't have a degree in psychology) to 2 year olds? Or is it just weird? I admit I don't know the extent of Emma's inner life, but I'd hazard a guess she thinks about shiny things, monkey, biscuits and Lego. I doubt she's got her little blonde head around 'marriage' for starters. As if in response to the story she'd think "aha! This explains why I am more attached to my male parent! It's because of my subconscious desire to kill my mother and marry my father. Up til now that's really been bothering me."

It's one thing not to subscribe to the whole Oedipus thing (and I don't) , but another to have it put in pre-school. Anyway, I found the whole thing a bit disturbing. I think tomorrow I might put in a request for The Very Hungry Caterpiller.