Grace & Choice

Around the holidays people can get a little bit crazy.  Maybe it's all the decorating, cooking/baking, shopping, parties, traveling, and all the other things associated with the holidays.  I heard a story from another teacher at work yesterday that really made me stop and think about the pressures during this time of the year. 

The story:  It was the day of their Christmas parade.  The student's practiced all month a collection of songs to sing to their parents.  They get to sit in Santa's lap and have their picture taken and there are extra goodies waiting for them in the classroom when they return from singing.  It's also a great way for parents to meet and mingle with one another. Back in the classroom (the singing was over and the photos were being developed) and the students were all sitting around eating their holiday munchies.  The parents were doing their mingling and music was playing in the classroom. Everything was going so. much. better. than the Halloween parade. And then it happened...  A student got sick, and yes he threw up.  Disgusting I know, but what do you expect after all the morning excitement and then him shoveling holiday treats down his throat at 10 a.m.  Plus for all we knew he was sick prior to all the morning excitement.  

Here is where it got crazy.  The teachers of course sprang into action and took care of the cleaning, the changing, the rearranging, the apologizes, EVERYTHING.  Most of the parents were helpful and understood.  However one parent completely lost it. She apparently has never seen a child throw up, has a weak stomach, was trying to put on a show of her own, or some other random weird thing.  She basically scooped up her child and started screaming, "What are you going to do about all this mess"?!!  Of course the teachers were already handling it.  The crazy lady's child had to use the restroom and since the child that got sick had to be changed in the bathroom she refused to let her son use the same bathroom.  Now keep in mind at this point the bathroom has already been cleaned and disinfected..... 

I guess she assumed that no one has EVER thrown up in the classroom before, because she expected the entire class to be moved to another classroom for the day.  I doubt she realized that as a fully functioning school we don't just have open classrooms.  So needless to say she was the only one that lost her mind that day.  She immediately left with her kid in tow after she realized that the mess had been cleaned and the party was going to continue as normal.  

The other parents were completely stunned and the teachers just continued as normal.  No over-stressed, crazy parent was getting them down!

That parent definitely made the choice to leave with her son.  I just wish she would have done it with a bit of grace.

Grace & Choice are two things that I believe everyone should keep in mind as the new year approaches.

Try to relax and have fun with the holidays.  At the very least don't let your crazy show like that in public. Save that type of behavior for home or something (like I do).