Teddy the Clown

We went to a picnic at our church (St. Raymond's, in Springfield, VA) the weekend before last. Our goal was for Alexandra to have fun and to meet some of the other parishioners. We've been going to this church for about 4 months now and haven't had the chance to make any friends there yet. I met a couple of women in the Mom's group there, and it looks like they actually have some events not on weekdays (hooray!), so I hope to be able to participate. Alexandra was really excited about the picnic because we read in the bulletin that Teddy the Clown would be there. She kept talking about how happy she was to be meeting Teddy the Clown. When we arrived, Christopher asked, "Alexandra, do you think Teddy the Clown is a teddy bear?" Alexandra replied, "Yes!" We knew then that the afternoon would probably not go as planned. Sure enough, when she saw Teddy the Clown, who was a clown and most definitely NOT a teddy bear, she freaked out and wouldn't go near him. She was also scared of the pony rides and the bouncy house (well, bouncy obstacle course is more precise). In the mind of a four year-old, why on earth wouldn't Teddy the Clown be a teddy bear!?! My precious little girl - I love her so much.