Credit Where Credit is Due

We seem to have a solution to The Young Man's problem with a kindergarten bully. In the end, Miles' principal called both the fledgling delinquent and Miles in to his office, and asked them to discuss the situation. I am very impressed by this approach, as Miles had to own his complaints, and his nemesis had to face up to the hurt he was causing. This was a week ago, and so far there have been no recurrences of the bullying behavior. And I don't have to call back and get all alpha-mom on the principle, which saves us both a lot of unnecessary grief.

An Interview with The Man

Actually, the discussion with the principal went pretty well. I was pleasant and calm, and he mostly avoided any patronizing tones or moves to "blame the victim." Still, the conversation had its moments, such as my stunned silence when he offered to review the hall monitoring video tapes to see if he could observe any objectionable behavior. I was not aware that they actually have video monitors in the school hallways now. Apparently it helps to apprehend the five year old perp. Whatever happened to supervision and guidance provided by actual people? I don't know many young children who can respond adequately to a video review of their recent actions. I think that might be a few steps beyond what can be reasonably expected.

Of course we'll continue to monitor the situation, but I'm hopeful that adult supervision during the problem times of day (which are very predictable) will help stop the bullying behaviors. I'll try not to quiz Miles when he returns (we're trying not to make a big deal out of this), and no news will be good news. I also hope, however, that we didn't add to the other child's burden. That, too, will merit some attention.

Mama Does a Take-Down

Is it wrong of me to want to squash an irritating five year old that is harassing my sweet, sweet son?

The Young Man has been having some *issues* with a nascent bully at school. This kid was pegged in Pre-K as trouble, and he's starting to live up to his (bad) potential. The good mother in me is all about giving Miles the tools to cope with challenging situations and solve his own problems. The bad mama in me is ready to walk up to the twerp and pop him one. (Kidding! Really!) They are five, for crying out loud! Isn't it enough that this kid has swindled Miles out of more that one Hot Wheel? Why does he now need to push him around in the bus line and steal a pin off of his backpack? I'm sure that the kid has some sort of backstory, but then so do I. That's my son he's picking on, and I'm pissed.

Tomorrow I get to put in a call to the principal, and try to act all rational and measured. But this is my kid we're talking about, and I know that rational will only carry me so far. Please wish me luck. The principal will need it.