The Piranha

In the fish tank that is a pre-school classroom there is one that lurks and waits.  There is the one who does not need provocation, but simply opportunity.  One, that in a moment’s notice will strike the unsuspecting.  One that will make all other parents worry about the next bite.  One that makes their own parents wonder where they went wrong.  The Piranha.

 When you look at the smile and the sweet face you would not suspect her.  When you hear her giggles and her laughter, you wouldn’t think twice.  When she cuddles into your shoulder you have no clue. But, Sophie has a problem.  Sophie likes to bite…

Emilee got the call on a Friday.  “You need to come get Sophie, she is no longer welcome at school.”  Emilee was taken aback.  “What do you mean?” she asked.  The assistant director then explained to Emilee that Sophie had bitten another child, again, and was being expelled from school until the problem was worked out.  If it ever got worked out.

Emilee was understandably upset.  No parent wants to hear that their kid is being ejected from school.  No parent wants to hear that their kid has hurt someone else.  Furthermore, this was done without a previous word from the school, and now she has to figure out how to make sure that Sophie has someone to watch her until our summer plan can take effect.

I don’t ever want my kids to be the bully or the victim.  But, how do you work with an 18 month old who does not understand their actions?  How do you connect with your kid when you aren’t even sure of the trigger?  How do you keep from getting frustrated with the whole set of circumstances?

We think we know what is going on.  Sophie has acted like this before when she has had ear trouble.  And, it just so happens, that she is having ear trouble again.  She is set to have her tubes removed and replaced along with having her adenoids removed.  It’s a pretty big deal to be on your second set of tubes at 18 months.  We are praying that this is the fix.

But what if it isn’t; then what?  Do we muzzle her for the protection of others?  Do we get bite necklaces or a leather strap or a bullet?  How do you teach a child with zero attention span to not bite?  I already checked, and shock collars are frowned upon in this case.  Well, pretty much all cases…

If anyone out there that reads this (all two of you) has any suggestions, please let us know.  We need our children to be able to go to school and get along with the other kids.  I am already pretty sure that Sophie is going to be the leader of some biker gang one day, and would like to postpone that transition as long as possible.  I love my kids so very much.  I just wish that once in a while they could make it easy to watch them grow up!

Keep Smiling,

Rob