Katherine's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Yesterday I opened the door to find a tear-stained Kate on the front porch. That hasn't happened in a really long time and Kate doesn't tend to get too bent out of shape over the little stuff anymore so I was immediately worried.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned.
Then started the real flood of tears: she'd woken up late for school and had to rush around, she got herself a frozen waffle to eat on the way to the bus but forgot it on the table in the rush, the lunch lady had made her pay for her lunch out of her own allowance because she forgot to ask me for lunch money (and had been threatened with not being allowed to eat if she didn't pay up), her umbrella turned inside out in the wind and broke, she fell in a puddle at school, some boys had been teasing her on the bus and had crumpled up the poster she'd drawn and was so carefully trying to get home in one piece and someone cut a hole in her pants!
"WHA?!" I said.
Sure enough, there's a big hole cut in the leg of her pants. At first I had images of her being held down by force while someone cut her pants, but no, she doesn't know how it happened. Just that she left art class and noticed her leg felt cold, then looked down to see a hole in her pants! She swears she didn't catch her pants on anything and looking at the straight lines of the hole, it does really look like it was cut.
I got on the phone right away and let the office know that I was mad about this. I tried to make clear that I knew the woman on the phone with me probably didn't know anything about it but I expected someone to look into it and provide an explanation. Of course, these were brand new pants, one of Kate's only good-fitting pairs after the latest growth spurt.
I wrote the girl a check for lunches today, too, and enclosed with it a note making clear that if I heard about Kate being threatened with not being fed, or if they shook her down for her allowance or otherwise harassed her about her lunch money without FIRST CONTACTING A PARENT we would be having words because I consider that behavior unacceptable. I included my phone number: Katherine is 11 and if they have a problem with unpaid lunch bills they need to contact ME. Period.
I'm also going to be meeting the kids at the bus this afternoon so I can give the little hoodlums on her route a talking to. I haven't had to go out and threaten the little jerks for a few years now (not since the great Toumsa Episode of '03, which I'd link to if my archives from that time weren't broken). Probably a new batch of kids by now. Guess it's time to dust off my Crazy Neighbor Lady credentials. Last time threatening to walk the boys home every day after school until they could learn to behave was enough.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned.
Then started the real flood of tears: she'd woken up late for school and had to rush around, she got herself a frozen waffle to eat on the way to the bus but forgot it on the table in the rush, the lunch lady had made her pay for her lunch out of her own allowance because she forgot to ask me for lunch money (and had been threatened with not being allowed to eat if she didn't pay up), her umbrella turned inside out in the wind and broke, she fell in a puddle at school, some boys had been teasing her on the bus and had crumpled up the poster she'd drawn and was so carefully trying to get home in one piece and someone cut a hole in her pants!
"WHA?!" I said.
Sure enough, there's a big hole cut in the leg of her pants. At first I had images of her being held down by force while someone cut her pants, but no, she doesn't know how it happened. Just that she left art class and noticed her leg felt cold, then looked down to see a hole in her pants! She swears she didn't catch her pants on anything and looking at the straight lines of the hole, it does really look like it was cut.
I got on the phone right away and let the office know that I was mad about this. I tried to make clear that I knew the woman on the phone with me probably didn't know anything about it but I expected someone to look into it and provide an explanation. Of course, these were brand new pants, one of Kate's only good-fitting pairs after the latest growth spurt.
I wrote the girl a check for lunches today, too, and enclosed with it a note making clear that if I heard about Kate being threatened with not being fed, or if they shook her down for her allowance or otherwise harassed her about her lunch money without FIRST CONTACTING A PARENT we would be having words because I consider that behavior unacceptable. I included my phone number: Katherine is 11 and if they have a problem with unpaid lunch bills they need to contact ME. Period.
I'm also going to be meeting the kids at the bus this afternoon so I can give the little hoodlums on her route a talking to. I haven't had to go out and threaten the little jerks for a few years now (not since the great Toumsa Episode of '03, which I'd link to if my archives from that time weren't broken). Probably a new batch of kids by now. Guess it's time to dust off my Crazy Neighbor Lady credentials. Last time threatening to walk the boys home every day after school until they could learn to behave was enough.
Grr! Ya want we should rough 'em up a bit?
--Kate's many grownup friends
Yeah, boy, I was in a mood to crack heads, lemme tell ya.
Adding insult to injury, Kate's scooter was stolen yesterday because the adult in charge of the community center wouldn't let her bring it inside with her (folded up, carrying it) when she went in to use the bathroom. She was inside for maybe 10 minutes and in that time someone swiped it. Grrr again.