poor body image starts young?

Every Wednesday, Ben's teacher sends home a giant envelope full of his past week's work for us to look at with him.  He's the very definition of a school nerd/overachiever/good student.  I guess you could say he got a double dose of that from his parents (then his Mommy slacked off a little in college, but that's not exactly relevant).

Ben loves to write (and read), and I think that's so cool.  In writer's workshop, they're learning about poems right now, and he is pumped.  (Despite the fact that he calls it a one-syllable pome instead of a two-syllable po-em and nothing I can say convinces him that the latter is correct.)  Since I wasn't home yesterday, I noticed the pile on the counter that Sam and Ben had gone through, and randomly pulled out this piece of paper.

I was so sad when I read it.  Ben thinks he's fat?  Who gave him that idea?  Why is he writing poems about it? 

I carried it in to where he was eating breakfast and asked him, "Ben.  Why did you write 'I am fat'?"

He casually looked at me and said, "Oh.  I meant to write fast."

Phew.  So he doesn't think he's fat.

He's just a bad speller and rhymer.  That's better?  

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(In fairness, I'm chalking this up as an off day.  The kids never ceases to amaze me.  I mean, check out that penmanship.  Impressive for a kindergarten boy, no?)