Pushing Boundaries

Well, like I figured he would, Harrison got in a little bit of trouble today. I don’t like to be negative and I don’t like to feel like I’m always downing the boy, but I do know the patterns. In virtually every classroom he’s ever gone into since he was two years old, he has spent the first few weeks exploring his boundaries. In laymen’s terms, that pretty much means he makes the teacher ask him multiple times to do something, oftentimes acting like he doesn’t hear them until he gets into trouble. When he eventually gets sent to the green carpet or the “chair'” or whatever disciplinary time out device the teacher uses, he is awfully contrite and claims that “it was an accident!”

I can’t count the times he has told me that something wasn’t his fault. I’ve replied to that statement hundreds of times that he needs to understand that when he’s misbehaving and he knows it (which is about 98% of the time—there are a few instances where he isn’t aware of a rule that he’s breaking, but the vast majority of the time, he knows), he is making a choice. When you make a choice, it may be good, it may be bad, but it is very rarely an “accident.”

I’m so tired of  explaining that concept to him, but I know that good parenting doesn’t happen over night; it often comes down to who is more persistent. I like to think I’m more stubborn persistent in explaining and disciplining than my five year old is in misbehaving. Maybe I’m delusional. I don’t know.

I know I’m tired and it’s only been three days of school. I hope with all my heart that he is going to be able to behave for his teacher. I know that eventually he will. I’m just ready for the exploring song and dance to be done so that he can move on. Seeing this exact same scenario play out time after time gets old.

On a positive note, my classes seem to be going pretty well. They’re not perfect by any means, but they seem to be pretty good so that’s kind of cool. Again, I know it’s only been three days and there’s no way to judge kids’ behaviors that early, but I have a good feeling about this year.