Lauries parents were
looking
forward to meeting his teacher so that they could find out more about
.
Laurie did not adjust well to
kindergarten. He was a spoiled child, and the rules and
order of school did
not suit him. He came from school each day complaining about a classmate
named Charles who got into a lot of trouble. Laurie and his parents thought that
Charles was a
lot of fun.
Well, he
said, Charles was bad again
today. He grinned. Today Charles hit the teacher,
he said.Good heavens,
I said. I suppose he got spanked
again?He sure did, Laurie
said.
As Laurie continues to come home day after day
and
describe the horrible things Charles does, his parents are curious but
not overly concerned.
After all, their son is no angel. He talks back,
harasses the baby, and generally wreaks
havoc.
When the
night of the Parent-Teachers meeting comes, Lauries mother
stays home because
the baby is sick. As a result, she does not get to meet Lauries teacher.
She continues to listen to his reports about Charles, the scourge of the
kindergarten.
When Lauries mother finally makes it to the
PTA meeting, she looks for any woman who
might be Charless mother and then
seeks out the kindergarten teacher. The teacher is polite and
they discuss
Laurie.
Hes had some trouble getting
used
to school, she said. But I think hell be all right.
Lauries mother asks about Charles, and learns
that there is no
Charles. Then she realizes the truth.
Charles is not real. Her son made him up. Everything
that he has described
has been his own behavior.
Of course, it is truly
ironic
that Lauries mother is so judgmental when, overwhelmed with a baby, she has not
really
been paying attention. Both of Lauries parents have let his behavior
go, when they should have
realized that it would have an effect on his school
life. Charles was his way of telling them
that he needed help, and they
missed it completely.
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