Imogen, so excited and keyed up to go to preschool she fell headfirst down the stairs on her third birthday when we were headed there, has been BEGGING to stay home to the extent it got our attention.
There were a couple incidents dealt with piecemeal, and at the risk of embarrassing her or anyone involved who may happen across this I will just say the truth came out that she was physically threatened to act out and she complied against her own judgment.
After it had been going on for two weeks, she was able to tell us what was going on, who was involved, what they had asked her to do, what they told her would happen if she didn’t. We listened to her, and she is LIGHTER.
We talked to her teacher, who was either unaware or unwilling to engage, or both, so we spoke with the school’s Executive Director, who told us they’ve known about the problem for weeks. I wish Imogen hadn’t had to go through it alone.
She was carrying the burden of would happen to her if she didn’t do what they asked her to do, and worried she’d getting in trouble if she did do it. My advice to her (take it) was for every mean kid there is always a nice one she may not even see.
“She will come through it even stronger than before,” her dad says and I hope he’s right. After such a long winter, one ought not have to work so hard to see the spring. And, as though it needed to be said, four is a little young to have to be dealing with this.
AngelfromMontgomery et al. 