Monday, December 12, 2011

so today I had one of my stupid moments

I know I've mentioned this recently, but I really do think the dyspraxia affects it ... the other day I was making sushi. Put the rice in the water, then realised I should have rinsed it first. I walked towards the sink holding the pan of rice and water and a seive. As I neared the sink, I tipped the pan contents into the seive. Onto the floor. In days of old I might have berated myself for this and felt like a moron stupid head, but these days I think hmm, synapses not connecting right, maybe.

So today, I hustled the kids out of the house to get Olivia to art and arrived half an hour too early. Forgot it was 4.30, not 4. I saw the teacher's car was there and wondered if they were in setting up, would it be ok to drop her off early instead of hanging around. The teacher's a sweetie man Olivia gets on really well with, and he was fine with that, though as I was leaving he said, 'yeah, it's fine, Phil (the other teacher) will be here in a minute.' I walked out of the hall, and as I was descending the steps, with Bodhi, in the rain, my little brain cogs started moving. Why did he tell me that? Duh. It's because teachers aren't meant to be all alone with children. For everyone's protection. I'm a teacher, I know you're not meant to be a in a room with a kid with the door closed, or alone with them. And I'd just left my 8 year old alone in a building with a male teacher. Or, left him alone with an 8 year old, which ever way you want to look at it. I'd put him in a completely unfair, and not exactly legal position.

THEN I started thinking, well, he seems like such a nice guy. But that doesn't mean anything. Ohh, God. But he's been vetted in order to work with them. But that doesn't mean anything. Do I go back in and wait? Do I tell him I realise that wasn't fair? Will it seem like I'm accusing him of being a child molester? What if he is a child molester! GAH!

So yeah, I left it. And wandered round with my head whirling a little.

After class, I went back in and apologised for being an idiot. He said, yeah, he found himself instantly opening all the doors, but he thought, well, I know Olivia pretty well at this stage (meaning, she's not likely to falsely accuse me of anything) and I knew Phil was on his way in.

So I felt better that his focus was on procedure and teacher protection than me calling him a child molester.

God, I'm a terrible parent, though. Do we have to be paranoid? Or just cautiously suspicious of everyone all the time. I suppose we do. I hate it though, I'm sure I've said that before. Not that that makes any difference to the way I should be protecting my kids. Yeesh. 

6 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

Oh honey. You did fine.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that's sad. I know child protection is incredibly important. But the way the safeguards are put in place and interpreted in Ireland makes me sad. We used to live in Spain and my little boy used to do a swimming class. At the end of the class, all the little swimsuited 3 year olds had to give their (handsome, male, 25 year old) teacher a kiss and a hug. And at the end of term, all the parents would bring video cameras to film the kids swimming and getting their medals. Only ocurred to me back in Ireland how inappropriate that would be considered here - and if you tried to explain that to a Spaniard, they would look at you as though you were a mad, twisted, consripratorial pervert!

Jo said...

Ha, yes. No photos in pools here. I think if our culture was better about physical contact there might be less problem with actual abuse... maybe. That's a completely unfounded statement of course, but I think huggy cuddly cultures are happier than ours.

Jo said...

Inappropriate, contradictory thought: I don't suppose all the mamas also got to give the handsome young swim teacher a kiss and a hug too, did they? ;)

Anonymous said...

No! Sadly .... (nor did the Dads incidentally)

Jo said...

:)

I taught two Italian students, friends, this summer, and they were so in love with each other - I taught them the term bromance and they were completely delighted :)