I may be new to this....

Yesterday the girls got off the bus and told me about their day. Riley said she was punched in the chest by a little girl. I asked Riley why the other little girl was mad. Riley said I was looking at her and she didn't like it. Sidney witnessed the incident and together they went and told the teacher. The offender received 10 minutes on the sidewalk during recess. Sidney said a little boy in her class grabbed her around her stomach with one hand and then put his other hand over her mouth. This isn't the first time this little boy has done things to Sidney. Sidney won't tell her teacher because that would be tattling. So we had a discussion that if any one puts their hands on you - you can tell but not just for a dirty look or name calling. So I called Sidney's teacher this morning. She wasn't aware of the situation but did share this particular child has already had a lot of issues. She said she would "handle it" - whatever that entails. It's different being on this side of the fence - usually I'm the one dealing with the difficult student and talking with parents. Now I have to protect my children and give them the tools to deal with difficult people. I think "all I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" is so true. I just didn't expect our learning curve to be so sharp.