Tuesday, September 30, 2008

kindergarten blues

This summer I was told that it would get better, kindergarten would straighten her out. She'll do well there and will grow out of this phase. So far, with next week being the end of the first six weeks, she's had more bad days than good.

I'm at a loss. I was hoping that by picking an experienced teacher Lindsay would snap-to, fall into line. Get on board with all the other kindergarteners. Now I feel like I've really screwed up my daughter's chances at enjoying school. She promises every day that she'll be good. Today I get yet another call from her teacher, I can hardly hear her because of Lindsay screaming in the background. She's saying, or screaming over and over, "I promised to be good"... And then the moaning cry. I don't ask her for promises, I just try to remind her to make good choices & good decisions.

Today she had to be carried away from the lunch table for being so disruptive (she had to be carried because she threw herself down on the ground when she was asked to move to a different table), she had a hard time at game time, when the teacher uses a game to reinforce the lessons, she played in line and again during naptime so she missed out on recess.... which is when I got the call with the howling. Last Friday she got her library book taken away because she hit another girl or got in a fight over it or something. It's just a constant, one thing after another with her.

She's in therapy. So far we've come up with oppositional defiance disorder. No magic pill, just "tough love". I don't know how much more tough we can be! I've told the school to paddle her, they haven't. (I know they don't want to, but if it's an end to this behavior?) We spank her when we get home, but really, what good does it do to spank her at 6pm for something that happened at 11am? Just makes us feel like monsters. Not to mention that even with the door shut it hurts Shelby's feelings to hear her sister scream & cry.

Everytime that I've talked to her teacher, it's that she can't give her all the attention because there are 18 other kids in the classroom who deserve to be taught. I just don't know what to do. And I'm tired of feeling out of control with an out of control child!

2 comments:

David and Carole said...

I love you and Lindsay so much! We are praying for all of you. Love, Mom and Dad

Sunny said...

(((HUGS))) sweetie! That's a hard spot to be in and I'll be praying for you.