Thank you for this!! I needed it today. Our older kiddo is a total rule follower who saves all her meltdowns for home, so we never dealt with classroom disruptions. My 4 yo... is much less afraid to show big feelings in school. And has developed a new tendency to con other children out of their belongings (mittens, socks, hair clips) and promise she can "keep it forever." So I'm newly in this world of getting feedback from the teacher about her behavior and have been feeling a little at sea. (Related, does anyone know how to parent a preschooler con artist bc this is not in the books?)
I asked her why she keeps taking things from other kids and she said, dead serious: "That's how I know who my friends are." It's fine, the mafia is open to girls now, right?
Part of my point in writing that article -- in so much of what I do -- is that schools so often misunderstand boys & miss opportunities to meet them/talk to them/educate them where they are. OBVIOUSLY what my kid did was wrong and not appropriate, but there are better and worse ways of handling it, you know?
Just for the record: Play-Doh is and always will be delicious.
Thank you for this!! I needed it today. Our older kiddo is a total rule follower who saves all her meltdowns for home, so we never dealt with classroom disruptions. My 4 yo... is much less afraid to show big feelings in school. And has developed a new tendency to con other children out of their belongings (mittens, socks, hair clips) and promise she can "keep it forever." So I'm newly in this world of getting feedback from the teacher about her behavior and have been feeling a little at sea. (Related, does anyone know how to parent a preschooler con artist bc this is not in the books?)
I don't have any advice as my kid got caught dealing Pokemon cards in the bathroom when he should have been taking a spelling test.
I asked her why she keeps taking things from other kids and she said, dead serious: "That's how I know who my friends are." It's fine, the mafia is open to girls now, right?
She has a point.
I mean, I am a non-mother witch, but my dog requires four vet techs, a muzzle and a tranquilizer at the vet so I think I can sort of relate?
I really appreciate this comment and want to add that my dog also needs to be tranquilized at the vet. Which makes you wonder if it IS me.
It is so embarrassing but yet I would probably respond the same way if my doctor visits required a thermometer up the butt? 🤷♀️
I ALSO got an email from school with the subject line "Bathroom incident!" (You get that as subject line, and you know it's not gonna be good). And then, b/c I"m a writer, I wrote an article about it: https://yourteenmag.com/family-life/communication/how-to-teach-consent-to-boys-without-shaming-them
Part of my point in writing that article -- in so much of what I do -- is that schools so often misunderstand boys & miss opportunities to meet them/talk to them/educate them where they are. OBVIOUSLY what my kid did was wrong and not appropriate, but there are better and worse ways of handling it, you know?
A nice coda is that I wasn't at the behavior update meeting but the teacher said it's been off to a good start, so that is a tiny relief.