This is a mug shot of my 20 month old Grandaughter. She has started to spend a couple of days a week at a daycare. My son called me the other day. He was able to get away from the shop a little early and went to pick her up. The call went like this.
"Dad, I thought I'd better call you before you heard it from some other source."
"Heard what?"
"I just picked up Madilyn Rose from daycare.... they gave me an incident report on her."
"What's an incident report?"
"Well, if a child is guilty of doing something.."
"Uh Dan, she's a baby." "By the way, what'd she do?"
"She threatened a little boy."
"She's a baby, how'd she do that?"
"She had a Jack in the Box in her hand."
"Well, I guess I used to be scared of them myself."
"Says here on the report that the child was removed from the area and talked to about playing nicely with her friends."
"Dan, she's a baby."
"I know Dad."
"Dan, what are you going to do now."
"About what?"
"The report."
"Oh that, frame it I guess."
As an addendum to this: Incident reports have always been around. Those of us who grew up on country school playgrounds with K-8th graders all on the same recess break, used to get them when someone about 6 years older than you, pinned you on the ground and explained the 'rules' of play.
This girls Father (my son) got one from the Elementary Principal back when he was in school.
The Principal said: "Cliff, did Dan tell you that He and I had a visit last week".
Me:"No, what happened."
Mr C:"Well, I picked him up by the shirt collar and pinned him against the wall, and we had a face to face visit about how when he caused trouble on the school bus, it caused me trouble." "And then I told him I didn't like trouble."
Me: "Do I need to talk to him?"
Mr C: "No, we got it handled, I wouldn't do that with just anyone's kid, but I knew you wouldn't mind?"
Me: " You were right."
When the above little girl gets to the age where she crosses from needing guidance to discipline, her Mom and Dad will handle that. Her Dad, at least, has had some experience in that field. Keeping children on the straight and narrow shouldn't involve someone building a future court case with 'incident reports'. It's all about adults acting like the adults around kids.
18 comments:
Next thing you know she'll be in juvenile hall ;) Ain't it ridiculous???
Cliff
You have to hand it to Dan - he kept it in perspective. By the way, did he happen to mention where he was going to hang it?
OH MY,,, at our school/daycare, you only get an "incident report" when you get hurt... oh yeah or if you BITE some one. Poor baaby just got her first one, you should know the other kids probbley have so many,,, yeah frame it!!!
and sharing stinks
Ah... a feisty woman to be!
Cliff
Well I am still laughing about this! As I got thinking about it it reminded me of Tiffany's first incident report. She was sent to the principals office by her mother - who was the teacher.
Nice story.
Ralph
Actually, the report read, "She picked up a jack-in-the-box and threw it at another kid's head." She didn't just threaten, she's a girl of her word.
Ralph, the frame will hang in my office at the shop.
Looks like she showed that kid that he better not mess with her!
She is so cute!!
Hats off to Dan. I've read soooo many blogs where the parents just go into attack mode when their child has an incident. Poopie is right, it has gotten ridiculous. Of course, today we discipline criminals and punish children - what's wrong with this picture? BTW, you've got a real cutey there grandpa.
Ah, those were the good ol' days. Those days when I got in trouble at school, I also got in trouble at home...
(I got one on you, though: My grandson had to go to the Principal's office on his first morning of Kindergarten!)
That child is going to be a fine mother some day. She threatens and she follows through. Good show. I'd frame the report too.
It's a tough life for a kid out there Cliff, one of my sons was expelled from kindergarten, he denies this, but he wasn't allowed to go back!!!!
this was literally too funny. my daughter (now 7) has maintained the rep for being a "trouble maker" (she has special needs) and so now what happens is her every action is under a microscope and we get incident reports for some of the stupidest things...
"she said "no", when we asked her to get in like."
"she took someones chocolate milk at lunch, then she laughed and said 'i got your milk...' and then gave it back and said 'just kidding'."
"there was gum on a chair and 2 children (out of 44 classmates) said she had gum earlier so we know it was her."
aww cliff..she is so cute, but if she is threaning boys..thats ok by me..
;)
Underneath that cute, sweet exterior lies the heart of a ruthless bully. Her dad and her mother (and her grandparents) have probably already been whooped by her.
Courtney works in daycare, and she tells me that some of those two year olds are conniving, tricky little boogers. She's got one kid that gets so angry over every little thing. She said to me, "What does a two year old have to get THAT furious about?"
There's another two year old who loves to inflict bodily harm on those younger than her. Courtney says it's actually funny, but they have to stop her, of course, as she goes around pulling hair and pushing any kid she thinks she can "take."
I have a feeling Madilyn Rose will turn out just fine.
I'm sure you will visit her in prison should it come to that.
I remember a call from my brother when his five year old had a remark on his report card that said he was immature. My brother said, Immature. . . he's five years old . . . isn't that a time to be immature? As an elementary teacher, I knew what it meant. My brother happened to be a college professor. It is all in the view.
Madilyn Rose will figure out the rules and do just fine.
Cliff, if you raised teh Dad, the Dad will raise the Granddaughter! I just find it a little insane that the incident reports have started flowing in DAYCARE! When my boys went to daycare, they were hit, scratched, bitten, and pushed by others, and I would discover the marks when I gave them a bath, no reports were given to me or the other parent, that made me crazy, let me know why my child has a full set of teeth marked out on his back, I get it that kids of toddler age bite etc. but just let me know! Anyhow, don't worry about her, Madlyn will out grow this phase, and the whole family can look back at the "INCIDENT" and laugh!
I loved the "FRAME IT" comment! There are no BAD GRANDDAUGHTERS! I know, I have two! ~ jb///
cliff this is val, i have missed your blogs!! your granddaughter is too cute. i love the frame idea!!
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