Going Forward

Lion and I went to visit his new classroom today. His new teacher is clearly no nonsense. Firm but fair. She's not going to take any of Bri's guff for a second.

Part of me really really likes her and part of me wants to hide my son away to shield him from the conflicts and head butting that I KNOW is going to go on between them.

I know it will be good for him. Up to this point, everyone has had a gentle, patient, kind hand with him and it hasn't worked. Maybe a firmer approach is what he needs.

Only time will tell.

After we visited, we went to the playground to pick up PJ and to blow off some steam.

Lion had brought his rather large Hess truck with him and on the playground he was playing very nicely until he wasn't.

One of his classmates ran to his mom sobbing that Lion had hit him in the head with the truck. I immediately brought Bri over and made him apologize. I apologized as well and was turning to walk away when the mother said to her son:

"Stay away from him"

meaning her son should stay away from Lion and not play with him.

To be fair, Lion DID hit her son with a truck and he was the bully of the classroom but it didn't stop me from playing out her very dramatic death scene at my hands in my head.

I have said the same words to my children on the playground (and ironically the last time I said them they were regarding her son!)

Knowing that parents think my kid is a bully and are advising their kids not to play with him is an awful feeling as a parent.

After I mentally killed her, I considered approaching her to apologize for anything else Lion might have done to her precious child and to let her know that we were moving classrooms so she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

I didn't though. I sat there, listening to her stage whisper with her friends, with her back turned to me trying not to be paranoid but sure she was talking about me.

Actually if she were talking about me, that would be fine. I don't give a rat's rear end what you say about me. (My best friend and I used to have a saying "Say what you want about me, just be sure to spell my name right")

If she was gossiping (And I used to be the queen of it and I know all the body language and mannerisms that come with it) she was telling her two friends about Lion.

Of course, I could be way off base and they were just talking about the weather and general school stuff.

I am so hoping that this new classroom works for Lion and he can start to show these kids and parents what an amazing, fun friend he can be.