Recess Was Her Favorite Subject....

And, now....not so much.

While the hubs and I were traipsing off in Vegas last week, having a grand old time, enjoying our 15 years of blissful marriage, our sweet, friendly, innocent, doe-eyed little girl was getting punched on the playground at recess.

Yep.  Socked right in the eye.  By a little boy.  A 5 year old little boy.

Apparently what happened was that she asked him to play and he said no.  I'm assuming her feelings were hurt (she just wants to be friends with everyone!), then she asked him again, and then he punched her.  This was verified by other kids, so it leaves me to wonder:  how does a 5 year old know to punch with a closed fist, and why would he do that to begin with?  What has he seen in his life that has taught him that's it okay to punch? 

I have sympathy for this boy.  I mean, did he see his Dad punch his Mom?  Does he have an older sibling that does this to him? 

My daughter seems to be doing okay after a few days of not really wanting to be at school, and keeping a sharp eye out for any adult to be close to her, but I'm sure this has changed her thinking about how other kids are.  I'm so sad for her that this had to happen during her first few weeks of her school career, but after seeing how all of the other kids are so happy to see her at school every day, I'm sure she'll be just fine.

The school takes a hard stance on bullying, and this boy has been "grounded" from recess for a week, and then he has to be with a supervisor the whole time he's out for another week.  While I was picking her up after school on Monday, he came over and apologized (again) to her, and she got very nervous and managed to squeak out an "it's okay, thank you".  I thought it was brave for him to come over on his own in front of her Mom to apologize to her.  Hopefully this will change his ways, as this isn't the first time they've had an "incident" with him.

It makes me wonder how many parents sit their kids down and talk to them about bullying and about how they treat other children.  It makes me think about the "my kid would never do that" mentality and how it happens more than we think.

It's been a good lesson for her, in the way she treats her brother (and I'm sure all siblings have their scraps) and in the way she treats others at school. 

Hopefully the rest of the school year goes smoothly, and all we have to deal with is uneaten fruit in the lunchbox at the end of the day!!