Suspended, Now My Kid Is Cool?

I get a call at work... your son has been in a fight, he seems to have bitten a kid, and has been suspended! Yikes!

I tell my office mate I have to run, kid has been in a fight, she laughs, been there, done that last month. I meet my boss in the parking lot, explain why I'm leaving work early, her response, been there, done that! They both have boys. What is it with schools and suspensions?

I rush to pick up our autism dog in training from her school and go to pick up my youngest, grade six, now suspended son. He's a pitiful sight, sitting in the principal's office, eyes red from crying. I just wanted to hug him, he looked so tiny on that chair. I knew I couldn't because we would both be crying then.

I go to him and ask what happened? The principal tries to butt in, but this is between me and my child right now. Long story short, he got mad at his best friend who was name calling, tripped him and bite him on the shoulder, no blood thankfully, and he has apologized to him. (Now I'm trying hard not to laugh, okay, okay, I know he might be a serial killer because of this, but really it is funny now that I know it was fairly minor.) He has been suspended for half a day, and may come back to school tomorrow.

Then the principal gets her two cents worth in. "Have you ever bitten anyone before?" My kid answers honestly, "Yes, my older brother". Principal goes into a rant about "anger management problems", "it's not in his record", blah, blah, blah. I get my kid out of there.

POINT: What use is suspension? He gets to go home and do nothing, or even play on his computer for the rest of the day. Why didn't they sit him in a room and give some extra math homework? Sending him home was a reward!

The buddy he bit, phoned him as soon as he got home, rumours were that he was suspended for two weeks. The principal just made him a hero in the other kids eyes. He gets to wear the "I've been suspended" badge for the rest of the year. He's now a badass to the other kids!!! Not at home he isn't. What don't the schools understand, suspension means the kid is now "cool"?

Anyways, his older brother came home, told him biting was for girls, and the biting problem is now solved. It will not happen again, not because of the principal talking about anger management, but because his older brother pretty much called him a girly guy.

Kids!! You got to love them!