More Like Grizzly, Less Like Teddy

Moms are a lot like bears; if you mess with their cubs expect to be attacked. Okay, maybe “attack” is a little strong but you can bet your ass that mama bears will do whatever they need to do to protect their cubs. This mama bear was tired of seeing my Sydie cub coming home from school frustrated because a couple of little boys in her class were bothering her. This was fast becoming an everyday occurrence so I felt the need to nip it in the bud.  Syd has always struggled in school and this year we were encouraged that with the meds maybe it would be easier for her. The school work has gotten better but these two little boys constantly insulting her was an unnecessary variable.  After a lengthy discussion at home about how all little boys are poop-heads (a term Gentry said I can’t use anymore), and how “we” must respect others, yada, yada, and so on, I contacted both her teacher and the school counselor. I informed them of the situation, what Syd would do to improve her behavior, and to see if a meeting was needed. However I made it clear the bottom line was: these boys had better stop bullying my child. That situation was quickly resolved by her teacher so we moved on to the next issue, the lunchroom. 

It seems utterly ridiculous to me that a child would dread lunchtime but mine did. Apparently the entire class got in trouble the second week of school and were assigned seats. Syd was seated right next to the two little poop-head boys with only one other girl at her table. To complicate things further, she didn’t want to talk to the little girl because she always talks about herself and brags about playing football and golf. Really Syd? Wth?  I advised her she needed was an ally and therefore she needed to make an effort with this girl. My advice to her was to listen and maybe ask a question about the sports she plays to show interest, or just reply with “that’s cool!” I told her it’s like being on a date; sometimes you could care less about what the other person is saying but out of politeness you nod your head, smile, and act like you are interested to make the other person feel good. I then told her, “Tomorrow I want you to go on a date with this little girl.” The look she shot me was clearly one of “Oh my gosh, my mom has finally lost it.” But then she smiled, laughed and she said she got it. 

We are still working through some issues but at least the poop-heads are out of the equation and I will not use that term again starting…… now.