And So It Begins . . .

The fourth day of kindergarten, my son's teacher emailed me that my son was having trouble keeping his hands to himself and listening.  He had a meeting with the school guidance counselor because he was rough with another child at recess.  His teacher had three "chats" with him this morning.  And she emailed me for my "thoughts" on the matter.  

My thoughts actually consist of a plan to gas up my van, hit the highway and keep driving until I "disappear".  However, since that is not an option at this point in time, I explained what I had put on the school's intake form and her class questionnaire - the kid does not transition well.  When he feels out of control of his environment, he acts up.  She wanted to give him the consequence of having to miss recess when he misbehaves, and I agreed.  I also tried to solicit any ideas for helping him learn to control his aggression, but she didn't have any.  She doesn't want the other children to start avoiding him because he is trouble.  Her heart is in the right place.  

His misbehavior continued into the afternoon.  He refused to line up after recess.  His teacher asked him what happened to his "listening ears".  He told her that "the electricity went out."  He also went on to explain that he "called the man to come fix the electricity, but he hadn't come yet."  

And someday, far in the future, this will all be worth it when I watch him doing comedy routines on television.  

I'd love to tell you that I didn't expect this to happen, but the kid comes by it honestly.  I've got three nuns and a Czechoslovakian lunch lady (who once chased me around the school cafeteria with a wooden spoon screaming "You no damn good!" and swearing in Czechoslovakian) who would testify that the apple does not fall far from the tree.  

It's going to be a long school year.