The Mother and the Goose

This post could just as easily be titled: "What I learned at school this week"!

E is the Kindergarten Student that I told you about earlier this week. We have had to physically take him to class every day this week. On Monday afternoon, Mom asked me if I would meet her at the parking lot every day to get him from her car and escort him to class. She is very pregnant and has back trouble. Since I am there each day, I agreed.

The first day, I had to escort him he kicked and screamed the whole way there. Someone who is trained to physically handle children came soon after we arrived in class and removed him. He did eventually go to class with a turtle puppet that belonged to one of our counselors.

The second day when Mom showed up, I met E at the car with my smiling teacher face and welcomed him back to school. As I am physically pulling the flailing child from the car, I put him in one arm—kind of in a football hold—and went to grab the backpack and lunchbox from the back seat. Mom, in a very serious voice, handed me this two inch tall plastic goose and said, “Here’s the goose. He’s going to need it.”

OK. I am curious, but I am not stupid. I was not going to stand there for an explanation with the child wriggling, squirming, screaming and kicking in my arms! I took the goose and said, “OK.”

The Principal saw that E wasn’t happy and came and took him from me. I took the backpack, lunchbox, and the goose to the teacher. I told the teacher, “E is here today. Here’s the goose. Mom says he’s going to need it.” The teacher, looked at it quizzically but stuck the little figure in his pocket.

Yesterday afternoon, E’s Mom found me on my way to our Parent Pick-Up line. And she approached me very seriously and said, “I gave you the goose. We are going to need it.” I said, “I gave it to Mr. B.” She said, “Well, we need it.” So, I got on my radio and called the office. Can you imagine what my call sounded like to everyone with a radio?

“Um, Office, this is Mrs. N. Can you please call Mr. B. and ask him to bring E’s goose to Parent Pick-up?”

The reply came quickly, “Mrs. N. I don’t think I understand your request.”

I said, “E’s Mother sent a goose to the room this morning and she needs it back.”

The Office person, hearing the seriousness in my voice, said: “OK I’ll call him and ask him for it.”

Soon, the goose and Mr. B. showed up at Parent Pick-Up and all was well in the world again.

When I was relaying the story to my boys last night, I mentioned that I am not “trained to do restraints” and they replied: “MOM, you’ve raised FOUR boys…you are QUITE TRAINED!”

Well, OK-then. I guess what I need is a little “goose training”. Cause I know I’m missing something somewhere!!