Day Two: Yellow Face

I go for the school pick up.

Drive through a long line in the rain. Again. No air conditioning in the suburban so that was nice.  I cheated and kept rolling down my window!

He heard his name on the walkie talkie and came right out to the car line today!

He was snapping himself in when I asked in a happy and excited tone how school went.

“FINE! HORRIBLE.”

“Why was it horrible?”

“It just was.”

“What made it horrible? Did you get in trouble for something?”

Yes, I jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly.

“Someone else got me in trouble. He threw a pencil at me so I threw one back at him and he got me in trouble for it.”

“What trouble did you get into? What did you have to do?”

“Go to the PRINCIPAL’S office!”

“Did the other boy go to the office, too?”

Hesitate. “Yes.”

“You know it is very important to be honest and to always tell the truth. The teachers will tell me exactly what happened so I need to make sure YOU are telling me exactly what happened, okay?”

“Alright. You got me. We both went to the office.”

Confused, I say: “You already said that. Are you SURE the other boy got in trouble and it wasn’t just you?”

“Well, we were playing a GAME. A hit the apple off the head GAME and we threw pencils to play it.”

I checked his papers from the teacher and he got a yellow face along with a note from her that he was playing & talking and not following directions.

This bothers me for obvious and more than one reason. I don’t know if he is being completely honest about the hows and whys of being in trouble. There wasn’t a note from the teacher but I don’t know if they send them for this or not.

Also, it is a bit fretting to have him in trouble before his first week of school is done. Of course, we have suspected this would be the case.

I will pray for and over all of darling him tonight. I’ll pray for us. . .
For his teachers…
For the whole school while I’m at it.

We’ll have to have consequences here at home anytime he gets in trouble at school. Along with positive incentives. His aunt just offered him a dollar for every week he gets five green faces. He is all over that already. A hint of bribery? I hope it is more like rewarding nice behavior.

He really is an endearing child and brilliant in so many ways. We just have to pray for his inquisitive little self to learn the right ways to go about being such a boy.

He ran up earlier and hugged me. He told me he loves me and played a quick game before hopping down and getting ready for bed.

He also told me a boy at school has a crush on a girl at school. For some reason… I wondered if he is the little boy with a crush on a little girl. The world of little boys!

Small Boy’s Resignation

For weeks he tried to interest her
With stones of red and blue;
She snubbed his efforts, every one,
As only girls can do.

He turned handsprings and hung from trees,
Till clothes were in a wreck;
As last resort, so great his love,
He washed his ears and neck!

Ralph J. Donahue