Omg omg omg

[Shari]

Wee difficult child goes to summer camp with a few kids that went to his private school.
***
Today, one of those kids decided to tell several campers what a monster he was at the old school. She described, in detail, how he behaved there, and then suggested that perhaps his brother, the Marine, should just blow him up and rid the world of him.
***
difficult child calmly told her maybe his brother should blow her up and walked away.
***
OMG - you guys, this is HUGE. HE WALKED AWAY.
***
This happened just before the group was leaving for today's field trip, and camp staff punished them both by not allowing them to go on the field trip, but after they talked to him and the little girl and the younger counselors who witnessed it, they realized that even tho he said what he did, it was pretty monumental that he didn't take matters further.
***
They apologized for not letting him go on the field trip and offered him a reward for handling it so well, even tho what he said wasn't necessarily good. They also offered to catch him up with the field trip, but he asked if he could just go play on the playground with another group of campers. The girl was suspended.
***
Me, the non-crier, is fighting some tears!

 

[klmno]

That is huge! He deserves a trip to the ice cream store or something!!

I was wondering the whole time reading that "well, what about what the firl said..." so I was glad to read at the end that she was suspended.

 

[Star*]

HE WALKED AWAY!!!!!!

HE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE DIDN"T LIE ABOUT OR DENY HIS BEHAVIORS in the PAST AND TOLD THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS HUGE - PASS THE KLEENEX -

BY GEORGE I THINK HE"S GOT IT!!!!

 

[susiestar]

How absolutely totally incredibly amazingly WONDERFUL!!!!! There are just so many things that he did RIGHT, I am so thrilled for him!!!!!


WOW!!!!!!

Hugs and ice cream from Auntie susie!!!

 

[Andy]

Wow! So wonderful for him!

I also note that he has finally found an authority figure outside of home who can recognize the positive in this. Can you imagine how the school staff would treat him over this one?


Good going difficult child! And good going staff for seeing what a great job difficult child did in this situation.

 

[AnnieO]

Tell him - I AM SO SO SO PROUD OF HIM! - This is AWESOME!

Lots of hugs for him - and you too!

 

[Shari]

I also note that he has finally found an authority figure outside of home who can recognize the positive in this. Can you imagine how the school staff would treat him over this one?

I think that's part of why I am so moved by this! Not only did it happen, not only did difficult child hold it together, not only is difficult child seeming to "get it" at this moment, but the staff AS A WHOLE recognized that even tho he said something that "broke the rules", the restraint and control and maturity difficult child displayed by what he did was not only acknowledged, it was rewarded by not one, but several members of the camp staff. The director called me to tell me, she was so proud of him.

He'll still get a think sheet, cause they have to. I'll still have to sign it, cause I have to. But they told him what a great job he did. They not only gave him a reward, but offered to take back their punishment. OMG, I'm just so HAPPY about the whole situation.

 

[DammitJanet]

Way To Go difficult child! I cant even see what he did wrong at all. Seems a perfectly normal kid response to being taunted.

 

[Lothlorien]

That is just so awesome! Way To Go difficult child!!!

 

[house of cards]

It sounds like not only He gets it, but the camop does as well!!! WAY TO GO!

 

[lizanne2]

I am doing a happy dance!!!!!!

THIS IS HUGE! yeah!

 

[tiredmommy]

 

[Sheila]

Doing the Happy Dance for you and difficult child! Totally wonderful!

 

[JJJ]

Excellent! Hopefully that girl learned a valuable lesson -- one the old school didn't seem interested in teaching.

Way To Go wee difficult child!

 

[threebabygirls]

How wonderful! If it were my difficult child I'd be praising her left and right. I know it's obvious, but I always try to emphasize the good choices, especially with my difficult child. Nothing like a lil' positive reinforcement.

 

[flutterby]

I'm very proud! And it's so nice that someone in authority recognized it.

 

[trinityroyal]

Wow Shari, this is amazing!
I am SO PROUD of Wee difficult child. And how wonderful that the camp staff understand.

Pass the kleenex over here when you`re done, Star.

Trinity

 

[everywoman]

How great for difficult child. I am so proud of him. Way to go little guy!

 

[crazymama30]

Awesome jog difficult child. I love it. That is great. He deserves an ice cream sundae.

 

[Marguerite]

It's wonderful that he walked away.

And maybe ity's cultural, but I don;t think he did or said anything wrong, uder the circumstances. All he did was respond to what she said - SHE was the one who raised the subject of blowing him up (or away or whatever). It's a natural response to say, "no, that should apply to you and not to me."

Example - we have an ad on Aussie TV for a mobile phone company which can log your phone into whereis.com. In the ad the bloke is NOT getting good navigation help from his mobile phone and he insists to his girlfriend that she listen to him and he will tell her where to go. Her response to him is a pause and then she mutters, "I'll tell YOU where to go..."
Eventually he listens to her when she says, "use my phone," and he discovers what her phone can do. "How come yours does that? Mine doesn't."
It's very funny, but also a very typical exchange.

I know we are very concerned these days about threats etc, but when someone else has made an obvious threat and all a person responds with is, "Go apply that to yourself," there shouldn't be punishment for the person who replies. Especially if he walked away, where in the past it would have escalated.

THAT for me, says he should have been allowed to go on the field trip.

But as I said - maybe it's a US/Aussie difference.

Marg