In every Primary/Sunday School class, there is always at least one little boy (sometimes a girl) the teacher dreads. The one who can't sit in his chair, sits backwards, hides behind the door, talks out of turn, is a smart a(**)leck, lifts her dress above her head to announce she got new panties and so forth. When teaching gospel doctrine, a teacher typically understands that children are not going to pay attention the whole time anyway and there will be random comments that are slightly disrupting, at best, shocking at worst.
One boy in a 5 year old class I taught 12 years ago gave me a play by play of his parents most recent argument and how his dad slept on the couch two nights. I was not stunned when they later divorced.
Little Savannah had new panties on nearly every week, sporting a different Disney character.
During one sacrament meeting the Primary children did their singing program. The darling 3 year old girl with the beautiful red hair and flowing dress sang while putting her dress skirt over her head. Her parents couldn't decide if they were mortified or entertained. Mostlywe they were mortified.
Overall, I patted myself on the back for teaching my children manners and respect. Yes, they interrupt at times but they seem to make pretty good choices overall. Besides, in comparison to some of the boys in the classes, I was confident my sons bad behavior was eclipsed. Until Sunday.
The Primary president pulled me out of my adult class to tell me that my 10 year old was being disrespectful. It had been ongoing. This day he boo-ed one of the children's talks. Her mother was in the room, too. That's right. My son is that child. So I made him sit with me through Relief Society and made my plans for either beating him when we got home, sitting with him for the next few months, or forcing him into slave labor (mine) during the hours we are at church.
After church, I went to collect my 5 year old and ran into a father of one of the children in his class. "This is a pretty lively class," he commented.
"What do you mean by 'lively,' and who do you mean?" I asked. He just gave me a backward glance and walked away.
The bad news is that my 5 year old is also that boy. The good news is that he is one of three. The other good news is that he is simply precocious and doesn't boo the teachers or speakers.
The bad news is that I will be sitting in Primary being the bad cop for many, many Sundays to come.
One boy in a 5 year old class I taught 12 years ago gave me a play by play of his parents most recent argument and how his dad slept on the couch two nights. I was not stunned when they later divorced.
Little Savannah had new panties on nearly every week, sporting a different Disney character.
During one sacrament meeting the Primary children did their singing program. The darling 3 year old girl with the beautiful red hair and flowing dress sang while putting her dress skirt over her head. Her parents couldn't decide if they were mortified or entertained. Mostly
Overall, I patted myself on the back for teaching my children manners and respect. Yes, they interrupt at times but they seem to make pretty good choices overall. Besides, in comparison to some of the boys in the classes, I was confident my sons bad behavior was eclipsed. Until Sunday.
The Primary president pulled me out of my adult class to tell me that my 10 year old was being disrespectful. It had been ongoing. This day he boo-ed one of the children's talks. Her mother was in the room, too. That's right. My son is that child. So I made him sit with me through Relief Society and made my plans for either beating him when we got home, sitting with him for the next few months, or forcing him into slave labor (mine) during the hours we are at church.
After church, I went to collect my 5 year old and ran into a father of one of the children in his class. "This is a pretty lively class," he commented.
"What do you mean by 'lively,' and who do you mean?" I asked. He just gave me a backward glance and walked away.
The bad news is that my 5 year old is also that boy. The good news is that he is one of three. The other good news is that he is simply precocious and doesn't boo the teachers or speakers.
The bad news is that I will be sitting in Primary being the bad cop for many, many Sundays to come.
Nancy, we love reading your blog! It really adds to our (me and husband's) morning routine and it is so entertaining! Thanks for that:)
ReplyDeleteoh no. :( but hey at least you are owning up to it and doing something about it. nothing iritates me more than a parent who ignores it. (i'm probably that parent). haha
ReplyDeleteOh, and on a positive note- I think it means your kids have character...at least they don't just sit there like a lifeless lump on a log. :) enjoy!
wait a minute... I think I was that child...
ReplyDeleteNo, not really. I was an a** kisser from way back. Who knew?
Meanwhile, this too shall pass. Are you allowed to read while playing bad cop?
I'm not a fan of teaching primary, just for the lack of patience reason, but serio you get to hear all kinds of juicy stuff from the kids.
ReplyDeleteBeing the bad cop can be fun - you get to chill, sing fun songs in sharing time and if you are lucky, the teacher brings treats.
I miss primary. (I can say that cause I'm out of it at the moment ;) It's amazing the stuff the kids say. I had a class recently of 8 boys age 6. Every parent asked me if it was a hard class and I would always reply in the negative. As long as I brought treats, only did a fourth of the lesson, and didn't mind hearing about the latest video games. Seriously though, I loved it.
ReplyDelete