Yesterday, Rhett decided that we should go outside so that he could ride his "bike". I was excited to get some fresh air but was a little worried because of one of the kids that was outside playing. I know I shouldn't be scared of a 2/3/4 year old but I am because I really don't know what to do when he hits, throws rocks, pushes over or kicks Rhett.
I decided that it should be okay because Rhett would simply be minding his own business, doing laps around the complex on his little trike. I don't know if it is just the extra emotion that comes with pregnancy but I found myself quite frustrated because in the course of 30 minutes this kid decided to ram into Rhett several times with his or her trike and hit Rhett with a light saber. I understand toddlers aren't always the best at sharing or playing nice with each other but this was like malicious. Rhett would try at all cost to avoid getting rammed, but this kid continued to do it.
Often when it comes to Rhett playing with other kids I let their parents help them remind them to right decisions like I have to frequently to Rhett. But the parents were no where to be seen. So I found myself sticking up for Rhett, yelling at the kid, "Don't do that." At one point, I was so frustrated that I thought about angrily knocking on the door and having a serious discussion with the parents about how they shouldn't let their kid play outside alone, because he is not mature enough to play kindly with others.
Last night and all of today I have thought about what I should do......
- Ignore it. It will snow soon and then neither Rhett or this boy/girl will be out much.
- Talk to the Mom about my frustration (she has voiced concern that no one will play with her child, so I think there would be some tender feelings there).
- Only go outside when this little boy/girl is clearly not outside.
- Try and convince myself that this little girl/boy is going through a phase and it is good for Rhett to get some lessons in toughing up.
Throw rocks at the kid when his parents or Rhett are not looking use a slingshot that way you can get him from a fatter distance and use larger rocks with more accuracy!
ReplyDeleteBribe the other kids in the complex to watch out for Rhett this can be done by starting a club with Them provide refreshments. Or find a different parent in the complex that also has a kid that will watch out for Rhett and let them be the mediator between Rhett and 3yr old, that will say something to kids and parents.
ReplyDelete(I'm just going to use male pronouns to make it easier to type)
ReplyDeletefrom a teachers and mother's perspective, I would talk to the child and the mother. If hed is hitting Rhett then that involves you. If it was just him being obnoxious but minding his own business, then you don't really have a right to step in, but since he is bullying your son, you have every right to tell him no. I would go over to him and in a firm tone tell him that what he is doing is not okay. Then ask him what he right choice would have been and then let him actually re-do the situation with the correct choice. When he does encourage him and show him love.
Give him/her at least two chances to figure it out. If he completely is non compliant or still bullys Rhett, then bring it to the attention to the mom. But be careful to do so really sensitively as if Rhett was the one who was the bully and she was coming to you.
This has worked for me many times while teaching many different age groups and I hope it helps for you too.