kindnessabovemalice.org

Sammy comes home from school and tells me he was in the bathroom, when another boy in his class came in, walks up to him and says “No one wants to see your stupid butt!”

I of course hate that other boy. Just for a second. Maybe longer.

Sammy has been having a hard time in the mornings at school, this morning I actually had to chase him to get him into the car because he doesn’t want to go. He was fine and loving it until he had a week off due to illness, and since then he just doesn’t see the point of going back.

So we are working on this, and thankfully he seems fine once I leave the building and he realizes he is stuck there until the end of the day.

But anyway, he’s a bit sensitive, more so than usual…. and so easily bothered by the crudeness that sometimes comes out of the mouths of other kids. He also has a thing about bathrooms, and really doesn’t like using the bathroom at school because not all the stalls have a door. He likes his privacy, I don’t blame him.

So this kid says this to him, and he doesn’t respond to him directly. When he tells me about it, he tells me how he said “you can’t say stupid”…but how he said it really quietly to himself.

I think sometimes, you just need to be a dick.

At least, that’s how I felt when he told me. So as I’m listening to him, and cooking dinner while trying to keep Jenna from climbing up my leg…. I just spout off what comes into my head, and I say “Well, you should have told him no one wants to see his stupid face.”

“Mom! I can’t say that, we aren’t allowed to say stupid!” He was horrified.

Of course.

“You’re right. You should NOT say that, and he’d probably tell on you too and you’d be the one getting in trouble. We should not call each other stupid….. then you should tell him he’s just jealous of your butt.”

“Mom. We can’t say butt either.”

“Fine! Then just tell him he’s jealous.”

He seems satisfied with that. It’s a comeback that doesn’t seem to break any rules. He is probably going to practice saying it so he doesn’t forget.

I wonder how some kids are just natural at being little jerks, and others never seem to master the talent.