Meet The Nat Pack!

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The Nat Pack: The super fashionable, super mod, super hip family consisting of Nat, Pete, Jakob, Brock, Troy, and Ivy. Like The Rat Pack, only younger, cuter, and not as rich or famous.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Heartaches and Heart Attacks

We've already had a couple of "adventures" since Jakob started Kindergarten.
First, the heartache. Jakob came home from school on Monday (third day in, mind you). And he started telling me a story.
"The door was locked at school, and I was locked out, and I was so so sad. And I started to cry, because I was so so sad. And the big lady came to open the door. But some kids started to make fun of me, and they called me a freak. And I am kind of a freak."
Oh, my gosh.
My heart just broke into a million little pieces for my boy.
The translation: Apparently, they have a recess time during Kindergarten, and the door locks behind them automatically. Jakob was trying to open the door again, and he realized it was locked which scared him for some reason. There was a duty out there, and she had a walkie-talkie to get someone inside to open the door again. But then I guess some kids thought Jakob's crying was funny, and they called him "freak".
Of course, I told him he wasn't a freak, and I'm not even sure he knows what that means, but I think he understood the intent behind the name. I wasn't sure what to do, but then I talked to him about it again yesterday, and he said that no one called him names. So, I think I'll hold out on any action unless he reports it happening again. I thought about emailing the teacher to see if she or the duty had seen any of this, but since he's over it I'm not now. I did talk to him, however, about name calling, and how it can be mean. I think sometimes he gets picked on and he doesn't really realize it.
Now for the heart attack. Jakob gets on and off bus 11. All the Kindergartners in our neighborhood ride bus 11 to school, but then all the elementary kids get out at the same time so there are a couple of buses in our neighborhood; it splits up the kindergartners.

Yesterday was the first bus day. We waited outside for the kids to get off the bus. There was Ila, and a few other kids getting off at the stop. But no Jakob. Robin, the bus driver, peeked her head out of her window and said, "Did you pick Jakob up from school today?" Uh, NO. So she gets on her intercom thingy and starts asking the other bus drivers if they've seen a little Kindergartner named Jakob on their bus.

My heart fell into my stomach.

Where was my little boy? I pictured him sitting outside the school crying his little eyes out. I pictured him walking along the very busy road, trying to find his way home. I pictured him on a different school bus heading who knows where and crying there, too.

We saw the other bus on an adjacent street stop. Jakob got out of that one, and started running toward home. He acted like it was no big deal.

He sat by Ty on the way to school; he sat by Ty on the way home too. Just on the wrong bus.

So, we drilled bus 11, bus 11, bus 11 into his head yesterday and today. And I made a little tag to put on his backpack: bus 11. In case the same thing happens again.

I'm just so glad that he has such a resilient spirit. He's just so dang cute. And I know I can't protect him from the world forever, but I'm sad he's had to have so many mishaps all at once. Things can only get better, right?

5 comments:

idasale said...

Hold crap I wanted to cry when I was reading your little post. I am not looking forward to sending my kids to school and I am supposed to let Joey walk to school(as of were we live now but that might change) Any who over my dead body is my son crossing John Adams ever by himself! If we stayed in this house forever I think he would reach Graduation with his mom still walking him to school!
And I lived near Boston, first I lived in Dartmouth(beautiful) then I lived in Brockton(Ghetto, literaly)! But I loved it!

Kristine said...

Kids can be so mean :( It makes me so scared to send my boys to school someday. So scary about the bus mix up!! I would have been so freaked as well! I'm glad he was ok and you've drilled BUS 11 into his brain!!! Jakob's a cute cute kid!

Kelly said...

Yesterday day Davis's bus was 20 minutes late. I was in a little bit of a panic waiting and waiting at the bus stop. I finally was so worried I ran home threw Jack in his car seat and headed to school. I drove by the bus stop just in case and there it was. Point of the story, Davis has been going to school for 4 years and the worry is still there! As for being picked on I have cried many tears over how kids have treated Davis. I think it is as hard on mom as it is on the kids.

Jennifer said...

Wow Nat! You get the supermom award this week! I can't believe the challenges in just the first week. Hang in there. I'm sure it has to get better!

Kar said...

I hear ya about the bus heart attack - the thing that happened to Davis's bus happened to me today - 20 minutes late. And I started wigging out. My heart breaks for little Jake. I hope that maybe he was just imagining that "freak" thing.