Jungle in the Classroom

‘It’s my Ben 10 watch!’ said my boy to the four coolest kids in the class - the kids he really wanted to play with.

‘My watch’ he said again bouncing towards them with an enthusiasm only seen in the under fives and showing off a jam jar lid stuck to a strip of card that we had just made together on the creative table.

‘Waps?’ the leaders face scoffed,’What’s a waps?’ he slowly looked around at the others with a smug look on his face.

‘No watch’ (pronounced again waps) said my little one completely unaware that this child was using him as the fool to make himself king, and only thinking that like him that this boy struggled to say words properly.

‘Waps! Ha ha ha!’ said the child his face contorted to a sneer that really should never be seen on a three year old.

I wondered where he had seen that look and why he thought such cruelty was funny, I imagined his father, tramping over the little guy, getting a range of somewhat timid laughs from those around him knowing next time the joke might be on them, then again he could just have been a normal kid from a normal home who had (duh, duh der, - older siblings…….

I dreaded the day my beautiful son’s innocence would be gone like that, when he would understand the power we all have to hurt others, I could see the day racing towards us just a few more encounters like this and poof!

I had to go over, I didn’t want my boy to realise that he was the joke. Almost Mamma Bear like, (almost but smiling not growling) I walked over.

‘Would you like a watch? – shall we make you one?’ I said to the scowling and unashamed child – he just stared at me, like I’d spoiled all the fun and finally spat,’No’.

My heart was breaking, I could not believe that three year olds were behaving like this, such sophisticated spitefulness. Fortunately a bit too sophisicated for my three year old to grasp so in a way he was protected from it ….. not like the time someone said he was two when he was three which provoked untold anger or the time someone said he liked vegetables when he doesn’t like vegetables or that he deosn’t like football when he does like football – clearly the ‘your mum’ for the nursery generation.

How was I ever to protect him?

Then it hit me – I couldn’t. I never could he would be subject to cruelty, sadness, random acts of meaness, injustices and he probably would be involved in dishing a bit out as well, because after all no one’s perfect and most of us have done a thing or two we’re ashamed of ( – Joanne Mottram apologies from me now for trying to make you say durex instead of dulex and the many paint based hilarious conversations I tried to start!)