It Went Something Like This...

Today.

10:45 a.m.

Mrs. Guisti walks into my office and says, "Ava is very mad at me."

Me: "Why, did you make her move her clip?"

Mrs. Guisti: "uh, yes. Kim, when she cries, does she usually get red spots all over her face?

Me: "Yes, only if it is a real cry and/or she has been at it for a good while."

Mrs. Guisti: "Like say 45 minutes?"

Me: "Yep, that would do it. What did she do?"

Mrs. Guisti: "Talking when I was giving directions."

Me: "hmmm..."

I thought, do I go check on her OR do I leave her alone to deal with this problem on her own? I mean she was really upset. She hasn't has to move her clip in a long time. She thinks Mrs. Guisti is like the queen of everything, I am sure she is devastated that Mrs. Guisti is upset with her. Let's find out...


3:00 p.m.

Ava arrives at my office, gives me a hug and puts her backpack by my desk.

Me: "Get your snack. Grandpa will be here any minute to pick you up. I am going to check your folder for homework, because I won't be home until late.

Shear terror washes over Ava's face. She runs over to the backpack and clutches the top so I can't open it.

Ava: "No Momma. I don't want you to look until we get home." The tears start. The red spots come back.

Me: "Why?"

Ava: "I had to move my clip, and I am scared Daddy will break me." through tears and an almost inaudible mumbles.

Me: "Break you?"

Ava: "uh-huh. I am scared he will break me. I don't want Daddy to break me." Again, through lots of tears and barely comprehensible mumbles.

Me: "What?"

Ava: "Daddy told me last night to put the balloon up before it broke something. He said if I broke something, he would break me."

Me: laughing. "Sweetie, he was kidding. Now, let me see the folder."

Ava crawls in my lap, still crying, and we discuss making poor choices and the consequences that follow. Then we had to talk about what a consequence is.

Later this evening, she didn't want to talk about it with her daddy. He made her write an apology to Mrs. Guisti. When I was tucking her in, she went through the list of students who have had to move their clips and what they moved their clips for. She was devastated. She is embarrassed that she has had to move her clip 2 times, and some of her friends haven't moved them at all. Life is so hard for a 5 year old!

Honestly, we expect the clip to be moved - she is our kid! Micky and I have a hard time keeping a straight face when she talks about it. But, when she held that backpack tight in her hands and begged me not to look at it, and thought Micky might break her, I could hardly contain the laughter! After I loaded her in Grandpa's truck, I immediately called Micky and we both laughed!