Thank you for all your insightful comments my post from a few weeks back, Is Being a Good Boy Always a Good Thing? You’ve given me many new ideas to think about, particularly about how my own example may be influencing my kids, and about giving them (especially my seven year old) more credit than I have been for knowing right from wrong.
Anyhow… remember the overhead projector machine my seven year old is sits next to in class? The one the teacher was certain he wouldn’t mess around with?
Yup.
I was talking to his teacher recently, and she asked me if my son had mentioned what happened with the overhead projector. No, he didn’t say anything about it. My jaw must have been hanging open as the teacher recounted how the projector started making wierd vibrating noises during the math lessons. She looked at my son, who immediately panicked, and — get this — offers, *gulp* “Here’s a five smiley.” (That’s the classroom currency for rewards points).
Luckily, she is laughing as she tells the story, because I am panicking and wondering whether parents have to pay for equipment their kids break. Even luckier, the teacher was able to remove the offending material — a few scraps of paper — and the machine was back to normal.
So, I know now, my son isn’t always a good boy, just a normal curious seven-year old. But still, the lesson to be learned: Be careful what you wish for…