Story by Stephanie Hanrahan
My son came home yesterday with a bite mark on his arm and here’s what I did about it: Nothing.
His arm was bandaged, he was smiling—I signed an incident report which stated he didn’t even cry at the time—and I have enough trust in his teachers to believe they handled it accordingly with the other kid.
Do I need to be upset about it even if he’s not? Nah. Do I need to place blame on the other child? Certainly not. My son may have been on the receiving end this time, but he’s also been the pusher of peers in the past. I remember back then how awful I felt about it—not being able to control my child’s unfavorable behavior—and I would’ve given anything to have just one mom look up at me and say, “I’ve been there too. It’s okay.”
So, to the parents of the child who bit mine: it’s okay. Your child is learning. He’s doing his best and so are you. This wasn’t bullying, or even intentional, it was a child who can’t verbalize his frustrations and took it out with his teeth. Oh well. He will progress. And in the meantime, you’ve given my son an opportunity to show his progression too. Six months ago, he would’ve retaliated. Now, he took it in stride and went about his play.
He’s fine—and your baby will be too. We are on the same team.
Love,
A mother who’s been there.
You can follow her journey on: Facebook, Instagram and Website
