That First Call from School

So there I was carrying on with my day, feeling in control, blissfully happy, when I got that message! The message that all mothers dread. The one that my daughter spared me from till this day!

“Hi Supermom. Just to inform you that your son has bitten another child and we ask that you take it up with him. From the pre-school teacher.” (Names omitted to protect the innocent.)

I obviously replied to say that I will sort it out and that I thank them for bringing this to my attention, while actually feeling: “He was on your time, why weren’t you watching him?!”

That afternoon in the car on our way home I told him that I was mortified and that I don’t understand why he would do something like that! His sister was smiling from ear to ear, knowing that her brother was in trouble and had to explain.

So here is his side of the story: “Mommy, we were playing and Jack (alias), was chasing me. He tackled me and sat on my face and then I bit him!” After asking him why he thought it was OK to bite, he said: “I wanted to call the teacher but you always tell me I mustn’t tattle!”

Ok, so whether his side is entirely true I don’t know and Jack was known to be a bit of a bully but I gave him a mouthful about respecting others, displaying love, mercy, blah blah blah…

I have fortunately not been warned about him hurting anyone else again but that wasn’t the end of the messages.

He started grade 1 this year and I have been informed of the following thus far:

• He lost his homework book…4 times…luckily it has his name on and it is always returned,
• His library books weren’t handed in on time,
• He lost his library book,
• He’s forgotten his chess set, sport clothes etc… many times
• He keeps chatting in the class even though the teacher has moved him all around the room
• Lastly, he’s swallowed his blazer’s button!!

The last two deserve more detail!

The message from the teacher regarding him not keeping quiet in class was accompanied by a note in his homework book stating: “Your son did not keep quiet in class today even after I asked him repeatedly. :(

By the time I got the note it had however been altered to eliminate the negative words (luckily only crossed out and altered with pencil, which I could erase to reveal the truth!). The message now read: “Your son did not keep quiet in class today even after I asked him repeatedly :( :)” Needless to say he got a lesson on honesty after that!

When asking about the button that he swallowed his response was: “It just jumped in my mouth!” What upset him most was that his teacher told him an alarm is going to go off every time he walks past a metal detector and he is now scared that he is going to die from it! I had to explain to him that he would be fine but that he just needed to tell me if his tummy hurts or if he felt sick. After a week of him watching all movements closely, the button reappeared unscathed! We didn’t recycle it….don’t worry!

While my son is an absolute darling with a beautiful personality, I somehow don’t think that messages from his teacher are a thing of the past.

I suppose the only blessing is that I get personal messages and that he isn’t named and shamed on the class Whatsapp group!

Waiting in anticipation for the next one!

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