The art of subtley

How do you teach children finesse? Twice today I had two students make comments that they meant in a harmless way, but came out really interesting... 

I took my glasses off to read something up close, and "say what's on my mind" 2nd grader says, "You look worse without your glasses on". Another kid told him that was rude, to which he responded, "I tell my mom that all the time...she looks worse without her glasses too!". ::shakes head::

Then, later, one of my fifth graders says to me, "You have really thick legs Ms. S, but I think it's because of your pants. When you stand still, they just look bigger than usual". (Today was sweat pants day for Bullying week).

So today I learned that in comparison to how I look on a regular basis, I look "worse" without glasses, and I look fat in sweatpants.

But at least I smell good...according to "invade-your-personal-space" third grader!