I have become my grandfather!

[chrisinhouston]

Well the rainbow didn't help little Sarah at school yesterday... I went over to their house in the afternoon to hang a couple of shelves in my granddaughter, Kirstyn's room. All the kids have a growing pile of trophies from soccer, football and cheer leading.

I broke away at 3:05 and walked to the school to wait their dismissal. We walked back and Sarah didn't offer much when I asked her how the day went. She has started getting some homework so I sat at the kitchen table with her overseeing her answers. The page had drawings of items and each image had 4 word choices and she had to circle the right word for the object. Her mother was in the kitchen and pulled out her conduct folder.... that's when all hell broke loose...

Apparently the teacher assigns different students on different days to be a class captain and they get to wear a special school T shirt of some kind. For some unknown reason Sarah who was wearing the shirt decided to snip a small hole in it with a scissors and got caught. As her mother read her the riot act I excused myself to go finish the last shelf. Pretty soon Sarah came up and quietly went into her room and put on pajamas. Her punishment would be an early dinner and early bed time but until dinner she would have to sit on the floor and stare at the wall. As she exited her bedroom headed towards the kitchen for solitary confinement I called out to her to come to me. I gave her a big hug and she began to cry on my shoulder, big tears on her cheeks. I told her, "you are in a lot of trouble and things are pretty bad but look at it this way, things can only get better after this."

I dropped by this morning to walk them to school and lend her some emotional support. Sarah was busy at the kitchen table writing line after line, "I will behave in class today." She had to write it on both sides and leave it out for her mother to see when she gets home later.

We held hands as we went to school. We hugged at the cross walk while the crossing guard waited. I whispered in her ear to promise me she would try to make it a great day. She complied. Her older sister took her hand and walked her to the school building while her brother ran ahead. I'm keeping my hopes up!

I was in first grade 52 years ago. I don't really remember much other then the teacher was old and kind of ugly and we had recess and I kind of remember the layout of the little school which only had K-3rd grade so it was small. I think first grade is harder now and they demand more from kids. Sarah is a good kid, I just think she is a bit overwhelmed buy first grade and fitting in. She is also at an age of trying to assert some level of authority so she sometimes does thing her way instead of what she is told. I saw it with my own kids and some of the other grandchildren. And she is # 4 out of 5 kids and may be sort of suffering a middle child syndrome, her little sister does get a lot of positive attention. I believe it will get better.