With some fava beans and a nice chianti...
Yesterday morning I got a call from the Goddard School. As always, my heart dropped a bit as I wondered what was wrong with Colin. But that wasn't the issue.
This was the first call I got that Colin was... in trouble. Apparently there was an altercation (?) about a toy, and Colin bit the other child on the back. The other child was OK, but I was horrified. I know he's teething again (he can't keep his hands, feet, shoes or anything else out of his mouth, and is actually drooling), and he was overtired due to an extra-fun afternoon at his grandparent's house the day before. And he got no sleep the night before - he was up all night crying. But that's still no excuse. I didn't get any sleep either, and yet I managed to refrain from biting anyone in my office. It was a challenge at times, but one has to exercise a certain level of restraint!
When I stopped at the school at lunch Colin's teacher was very calm about the situation, letting me know that biting is very normal for children his age. They get frustrated because they can't communicate, and sometimes they bite. It happens. We just all need to continue providing a very clear message that this behavior is not acceptable.
Then another parent came in... the mother of the victim. I felt so awful. My little monster bit her child. I didn't know what kind of reaction to expect. You never know nowadays... people are just so crazy. Instead she said "boys will be boys - its no big deal." I was surprised, relieved and in a way even more mortified by her kind, simple and eminently reasonable attitude... and in my sleep deprived state started to tear up like a complete idiot. At which poor Daniel's mother came over and gave me a hug (making me feel like even more of a schlep) and told me to relax.
H's reaction to the situation was a little different. Unlike Colin's mother who was horrified and humiliated, and was obsessing about what I can do teach my little boy to refrain from chewing on his classmates. His father, instead, said he was glad to hear that for once Colin wasn't on the proverbial short end of the stick. He was also somewhat amused that our son is a bully.
(Last week we were notified that he stole another child's juice and was eventually found hiding under the table gulping it down.) And in a way he's right - you really have to take this with a grain of salt. Kids do things to one another. If it isn't biting it will be hitting, or tripping, or teasing, or clunking one another over the head with a car/ball/toy.
Hopefully this was just a one-time incident, but H and I are keeping a watchful eye on our little Hannibal. Just in case.
This was the first call I got that Colin was... in trouble. Apparently there was an altercation (?) about a toy, and Colin bit the other child on the back. The other child was OK, but I was horrified. I know he's teething again (he can't keep his hands, feet, shoes or anything else out of his mouth, and is actually drooling), and he was overtired due to an extra-fun afternoon at his grandparent's house the day before. And he got no sleep the night before - he was up all night crying. But that's still no excuse. I didn't get any sleep either, and yet I managed to refrain from biting anyone in my office. It was a challenge at times, but one has to exercise a certain level of restraint!
When I stopped at the school at lunch Colin's teacher was very calm about the situation, letting me know that biting is very normal for children his age. They get frustrated because they can't communicate, and sometimes they bite. It happens. We just all need to continue providing a very clear message that this behavior is not acceptable.
Then another parent came in... the mother of the victim. I felt so awful. My little monster bit her child. I didn't know what kind of reaction to expect. You never know nowadays... people are just so crazy. Instead she said "boys will be boys - its no big deal." I was surprised, relieved and in a way even more mortified by her kind, simple and eminently reasonable attitude... and in my sleep deprived state started to tear up like a complete idiot. At which poor Daniel's mother came over and gave me a hug (making me feel like even more of a schlep) and told me to relax.
H's reaction to the situation was a little different. Unlike Colin's mother who was horrified and humiliated, and was obsessing about what I can do teach my little boy to refrain from chewing on his classmates. His father, instead, said he was glad to hear that for once Colin wasn't on the proverbial short end of the stick. He was also somewhat amused that our son is a bully.
(Last week we were notified that he stole another child's juice and was eventually found hiding under the table gulping it down.) And in a way he's right - you really have to take this with a grain of salt. Kids do things to one another. If it isn't biting it will be hitting, or tripping, or teasing, or clunking one another over the head with a car/ball/toy.Hopefully this was just a one-time incident, but H and I are keeping a watchful eye on our little Hannibal. Just in case.
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