Let Me At 'Em!

Nothing makes my blood boil faster than to know that someone is being mean to one of my kids. I go from Zero to Terminator in 10 seconds or less. Mothers everywhere know exactly what I’m talking about. Our protective instincts are innate.

I have never wanted to beat up a second-grader more than I did last Friday. I found out about “the incident” only because Little Squirt was telling me, while doing homework, about how he needed to forgive someone. After pumping him for information, he told me how a child from another class had punched him in the mouth during recess. He peeled back his lip to show me dried blood and a bit of swelling. He said this child, “Bob,” had punched him in the past.

I was ready to go nuclear and drive to “Bob’s” house, guns blazing. But Super Hubs, being the more even-keel one in the marriage, said he’d call the school on Monday to get to the bottom of this.

This morning he put a call in to the principal, who is a wise, together woman. She has very high standards for her school, which is why it is consistently ranked #1 in the whole district. She said that “Bob’s” behavior was unacceptable. Within 30 minutes she brought both boys to her office, corroborated Little Squirt’s story, made the other child apologize, and phoned his parents. (She gets the job done, this principal, and I really wish she’d run for public office! She could whip our country into shape in no time.)

So on we go. I’m glad that “Bob” was held responsible for his behavior, and hopefully will behave himself at recess from now on. And I’m glad that the principal reinforced the message that we wanted to give Little Squirt; that he matters. We are not okay with someone hurting him; and he shouldn’t be okay with it either. Forgiveness is good, but so are boundaries. Truth and grace, hand-in-hand.

But here’s what I’m learning more and more about Little Squirt: He has a heart of gold. When he got home, I debriefed with him, asking how he felt about going to the principal’s office with “Bob.” He said, “I just kept worrying about Bob, and how he’d feel about getting in trouble. I was sad for him.”

I don’t deserve the children I was given. Little Squirt was cut from a really special grain of cloth; pure kindness and empathy. He is one of my favorite teachers.