Don't Ask. Don't Tell.

A couple funny anecdotes from this past month, I wanted to write down so I didn't forget.

Yaks came home from school one day pretty upset.  Boo and Yaks walking home isn't always how I  imagine it to be:

There's often teasing in various forms, someone's walking too fast or too slow.  This particular day, Yaks came home upset and almost in tears: "Mom!  I revealed my 'secret crush', to Boo, and then she told Gabby, and I'm so worried Gabby's going to TELL my 'secret crush'!"

Did you get all that?  First off, he's got a secret crush.  Second, he calls her a "SECRET CRUSH".  Where do kids get this stuff?  Third, he told his OLDER SISTER!  The only thing worse would be a YOUNGER SISTER, but fortunately, Diddles isn't to the point she's blabbing anything of that nature.

I talked to Boo about confidences and trust, and how people can tell us things in confidence.  When you break that confidence, people lose trust in you.  She felt bad about telling her friend, but kind of shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how to proceed to put it right without making it worse.  She said she could "try" to talk to Gabby before school and ask her not to tell anyone.  Way to make an effort, Boo!

As the night wore on, Yaks' started panicking, sure that the Secret Crush would be shouted from the school rooftops, and that his crush would be in-the-know before the bell even rang!  How humiliating, right?  I finally caved and in what will go down in history as my most pathetic 'helicopter mom' move!  I called Gabby's mom.   I told her what her daughter Gabby knew, and asked her to ask her daughter to keep it quiet.  We had a good chuckle.  The mom was awesome.  As far as I know, the "Secret Crush" has never been revealed, and if you can believe it, through all of that, I don't even know who it is!
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Boo's teacher was out for a solid month in May having surgery, and they had a substitute.  Boo's class is great, but any class with a sub (and a sub for a solid month) is going to be a challenge.  Boo's class is a little more challenging than some.  Anyway, after volunteering in the classroom a few times, I learned that kids would get 3 warnings and then would lose their behavior ticket, which got turned in for a chance to win a prize.  Kids were getting warnings right and left!  One day after school, Boo came home as usual, I said, "Hey Boo!  How was your day?"  Almost as a joke, I added, "Did you get a warning today?"  Her head snapped up, and she looked up at me, completely red-in-the-face with shock.  Eyes wide, she gulped and said, "yes".  Oh, my gosh!  I almost laughed and then said, "Oh!  You did? What happened?"  She paused for another long moment and said very seriously, "I'd rather not say."  I'm sure she was wondering 'How did she find out?'

I asked a couple more times as the day went on, now simply curious what on earth she could have possibly done that she would be embarrassed to tell me about, but she stood firm in saying, "I'd rather not say."  Very well.  I'm happy to report that the remainder of the month she had great days with no warnings to be discovered, so the warning must have served its purpose.  haha!  Of all the kids.  Too funny.