For FHE we put together our emergency packs for the children for their school. They are asked to have a pack that contains drinks, snacks, healthy item, large bag for poncho, and a letter/picture from home for the child to have to help ease anxiety (in the event of an emergency). We got the bags all put together, they were all sat out the next morning, the kids were very excited to bring them to school and to give them to their teachers.
When the kids got off the bus at our house later that afternoon I noticed that Michael hadn't come inside yet.. I asked Hannah "Where is Michael?" she said he is outside on the grass. I go outside and turn the corner and there is my beautiful precious 5 year old, copping a squat right there on the side of the hill, with a granola bar in his hand. I immediately recognized it as the granola bar that was in his "emergency" bag. I said "Michael, where did you get that from?" He said "From my emergency bag." I reminded him that those items were only for an emergency and furthermore, they were supposed to be left at school with the teacher and that he was not supposed to open it and eat it!! I walked over, picked up all the other things that were removed from the bag, ie his letter and family picture.. grrrr... and I put them all back and I said "Michael, this isn't ok. This bag was made for your class. Why did you open it and eat it?" "I was hungry" he said. "My teacher told me to eat it." I looked at him with THAT look that mothers are so good at and I said "Your teacher TOLD you to EAT it????" He said yes with those eyes and continued to chomp on his granola bar. I told him that I had a hard time believing that because she is the one that requested the emergency bag. He said and I quote " I kept trying to give it to her but she kept telling me to put it away and then she told me to go ahead and eat it. So I did cuz I was hungry."
I marched inside, obviously at wits end, and my 2nd oldest child says to me "Mom, Michael was eating his emergency food on the bus and he said that his teacher told him to eat it." I said "Ya, I know. I am calling the school right now because something is strange."
I called the school and the secretary answers. I said "Hi Debbie, is Mrs. Magistrale still there today? I need to talk to her." She said, "Mrs. Magistrale has been gone all day, she had a substitute. You can call her tomorrow." All of a sudden it dawned on me, all at once, in a great flash of light what had happened. All I could do is laugh. I laughed so hard. Brandon says to me "Well what did she say?" I couldn't even tell him becuase I was laughing so hard.
Michael had tried to give his "emergency" bag to his "teacher" and she didn't know what it was and continued to turn him away and probably got so sick of this child showing her his bag of "goodies" that she just said ,"Well go ahead and eat it." Not knowing it was emergency food.
sometimes when our children do things and we can't seem to find a reason for the insanity.. we just need to take a step back, analyze the situation, and try to see if from the childs perspective.
Thank you Mrs. Kindergarten Subsititute. You taught me a great lesson today which was:
5 year old boys are very honest. They ususally do things out of curiosity not malice, they are ruled by their stomachs and they pretty much always so as they are told by their teachers!
thanks to Michael for conitinually bringing laughter and amazement into my day. You're a doll.
Love Mom
The Opposite of Hate isn't Love
5 years ago
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