Spectacles

There's the bit about First Son and his spectacles. First Son got eyeglasses last year. He needs to wear them when he is reading, writing, coloring or doing any kind of close-up play such as puzzles, or trains, etc. Basically, he needs to wear them when he goes to school.

Well, the first full day of school (which is also the first day that he rode the bus home with 1st graders) he comes home and starts throwing a fit, throwing his glasses around. He's never shown any hostility toward his glasses before, but he does sometimes have trouble communicating his needs when he is tired and/or hungry. So, we figured that this was just the manifestation of his exhaustion from being away from home for a full 7 hours. We got him some protein and some rest. Things calmed down.

A few days later First Son tells me that there is a kid on the bus who wants to fight him for his glasses. WHAT!? Who is it? What's His name? (where does he live, I am going to kill the little maggot!) Of course he doesn't know the kid's name. I am incensed. I am totally unprepared for this type of situation. I try to get more information from First Son, but he doesn't give things up easily. OK, we tell him that he should tell this person to "LEAVE ME ALONE" and then of course, to tell Mommy & Daddy if it happens again. (So that I can hunt the little maggot down and crush him).

Things continue on uneventfully for a little while. Then, First Son starts getting off the school bus without his eyeglasses on his head. "Where are your glasses!!" ( you know, the eyeglasses that you have to wear -or else I am a bad parent - the ones that cost $150, which is $150 more than I have to replace them with if I had to right now! - I am going to have to stand on a street corner and sell my body just so that I don't send my son off to school de-spectacled like a bad parent - those eyeglasses!) He tells me that he has decided to take them off, because then the bully doesn't bother him, he's even a little bit nice. First Son put his glasses in the case in his schoolbag. Oh, okay. Well, I figure, at least he is figuring out solutions to his problems, he is coping. I take this as a good thing. Until...

One day last week First Son gets off the school bus sans glasses, only this time they are not in his case! He doesn't know where they are. We search the schoolbag, the lunch bag - nothing. We search the house top to bottom - nothing. I send a note to the teacher asking her to check the lost and found - nothing. I am starting to panic - I am about to slip on my fishnets...then we ask the bus driver (duh - why didn't I do that first??) - glasses found. Hooray, fishnets, back to the back of the closet! But wait...more drama...

The bus pulls up in the afternoon , and the bus driver tells hubby that there is another child on the bus trying to fight First Son for his glasses! The driver had a talk with the kid, but he wanted to let us know in case it "comes up". "Comes Up"? First Son is on the verge of tears, quiver lip and all. I give him a big hug, assure him that he is NOT in trouble and ask him to please tell me what happened. The kid was kicking him! Suddenly I am channeling Miss Hannigan "Kill, kill, kill." We determine who the kid is and try to develop a plan of action. First Son says that yes, he would like me to talk to Stephen's Mom (yep, that's a real name - I have no interest in protecting minors if said minors are guilty of harassing my kids!) I call my neighbor who shares the bus stop with the culprit to ask her what she knows about the little delinquent. She is actually quite surprised to hear about this but then tells me that I probably won't get anywhere with the parents since...I took French in high school when I should have taken Spanish! Argh.

That night, first Son is awake in the middle of the night for about 2 hours because he is having nightmares that someone is putting stuff in his eyes!! Oh I could seriously hurt someone. How dare you torture my kid like this?? First Son goes into school late the next day because I let him sleep after the nightmares. That afternoon and since he says there have been no problems on the bus. Maybe the bus driver has taken care of it, but I don't know. I just don't understand how this happens, these kids are kindergartners and first graders, how do they even know how to be so mean?

Well, if it happens again I have decided that I will go knock on these people's door. I will just bring my gang banger friend from down the block (who doesn't smoke at the bus stop anymore, BTW) with me! Oh I am so mad!