 | My little girl is in 1st grade. She is actually only 5 but started a year early to be more in line academically with kids in her class. My daughter's birthday was two weeks ago, and I invited every child in her class to our home for cake, ice cream, pony rides, and a clown. Most of the parents stayed, except the moms of these three little girls who just expected to be able to drop them off at my house like they do everywhere else. Against my better judgement I allowed them to do so, explaining what time the girls would need to be picked up and making sure I had contact numbers for everyone. Well, halfway into the party, one of the girls hit my daughter. I immediately took the girl inside while my husband tended to our child, and tried to call the mother. No answer. I waited 10 minutes thinking she may have been in the bathtub or outdoors. No answer again. So I called the police who took the little girl down to the station while I kept calling the mom. I tried and tried, but never an answer and my messages were never returned. The mother shows up an hour after I told her the kids needed to be picked up. She did not apologize for her tardiness just immediately asked where her child was. I told her what had happened and that her child was at the police station becuase we could not locate her mother. She did not apologize for her daughter's behavior or almost ruining my party and started using profanity in front of me and my children. She then made a verbal threat at which time I called the police again who stopped her as she was speeding out of my neighborhood. The woman two blocks over said she had to be doing at least 50 MPH through our residential neighborhood.
I had my daughter moved into another class so she wouldn't have to be in the same class with these girls. I know it is not the children's fault and I do feel really sorry for them, but I don't feel my daughter should have to suffer becuase they have slack parents. The problem I am having now is that these mothers do not pick their children up from school. Apparently, they don't even ride the bus home but are picked up by some van and taken somewhere else???? The person who drives this van is maybe 20 years old and looks very rough around the edges. As the girls walk to the van, they say the most terrible things to my little girl. The driver of this van says nothing. The school really tries to help, but all they can do is tell the mothers the right things to do, and of course they have no interest in doing what is right.
We had originally planned to send our daughter to private school to avoid these kinds of people and situations, but I just had a new baby and our daughter is in horseback riding, ballet, tap, and gymnastics, all of which she adores. My daughter has no trouble meeting the admission standards for the private school, but it costs just as much per year as a year of college did for my husband and I. (there is another cheeper private school but the academic standards are way too low to accomidate my girl) In order to put her in private school I would have to take money out of her college fund, meaning she might not be able to go to her choice of colleges when the time comes-she already says she wants to go to Stanford like her Grandpa-I'm in trouble! It will be four years before the baby is off to school and I can go to work to put the money back. I refuse to take away any of my son's college money for his sister as I just don't feel it would be fair to him.
Is the only way to find a school full of caring parents, well behaved children, and solid academics to find a school that charges a small fortune for tuition to keep the riff-raff away? My parents say this is the only answer but I have to believe it is not only the rich who care for and take responsibility for their children and their actions.
Doctor Spock has helped my mother, and now me tackle the problems of childrearing. I sure hope he can help me now!
Sincerely,
Terri
Confused Mom |
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION