If you remember a while back I was listing “firsts”. Well now I’m going to fill you in on another
one.
Back when the school year first started, there was a little
issue with some other kid and Makenna on the bus. This little child, who we’ll call “ B” (because her name starts
with “B” not some derogatory reason…although it would fit,) started pinching
and hitting Makenna. When I asked
Makenna why, “B” pinched her, she said, “I don’t know, she says she wants to
rip my skin off.” This was just the
start of the disconcerting comments.
Time and again, we’d get snippets of “B” and her meanness
towards Makenna. We tried working with
the bus driver in resolving the situation in various ways. Until it all came to a head on January 24th. As the bus pulled up to drop off Makenna,
the bus driver called me over to tell me that there was an “incident” on the
bus and that he was going to take further measures.
She got off the bus and was in tears. As we walked up the driveway I asked Makenna
what happened. She replied, “B” says
she wants to kill my dad!” I was in
shock and asked again. Makenna went on,
“B” says she wants to kill my dad!”
“Why does she want to do that?
Why did she say that?” By this
time she was in complete breakdown mode.
We had to call dad to prove he was alright.
How do you explain to your child that there’s something
seriously wrong with “B’s” home life?
Then it was interesting as “B” then told Makenna that she wanted her dad
(Makenna’s dad), to be her dad. That
just kind of confirmed that something was very wrong at that house.
The next day I called and talked with the principal. I explained to him everything that had been
going on since the beginning of the year.
He said he’d look in to it and call me back.
When he did call me back (the next day,) he said he looked
at the bus tapes (ooh it makes it sound so federal like,) but couldn’t really
tell anything from them. He said that
he talked to the bus driver and to others and found that Makenna is not the
only child that is being harassed by “B.”
I’m not sure if this makes me feel any better.
I had also told the principal that I thought that “B” was a pre-schooler
and he did confirm that. A four year
old who has a mouth like a trucker, threatens to kill someone’s father and is
just overall mean? Yeah, I think she
has a bad home life.
He had a talk with “B” and her parents (he may have said just
her mother) and they were told that if her behavior didn’t change that she
would have to find other transportation.
When Makenna came home I asked her how her ride home was and she said it
was better. But she did say that “B”
did not apologize, like she was supposed to.
We have since found out that Makenna was also a bit to blame
as the bus driver would put her in one seat and she would then switch seats to
sit with “B.” We have told her
repeatedly to stay where the bus driver puts her but she says she wants to be
friends with “B.” I had to explain to
her that not everyone knows how to be a good friend.
I’d like to say all was resolved but there have been a few
instances here and there but far less of them.
I figure this whole situation will either make her more
sensitive to bullying and more sympathetic and hopefully not become one or have
the complete opposite effect and she’ll turn into one.
Maybe she’ll forget the whole thing and life will go
on.
