Rookie Dad: That Bites

Before I left the office the other day I received a phone call from the wife. The Youngling had been sent home with a note from her preschool teacher. That's never good.

It seems that she landed herself in whatever disciplinary area the teacher uses because she got a bit zealous after being appointed line lead for the day.  In The Youngling's head on that specific day she thought that meant that she had been appointed queen of the classroom and when one of her friends tried grabbing a toy during play time, The Youngling bared her teeth and bit her friend.

In what world is it okay in a child's mind to bite someone? I know that kids go through phases like picking their nose or pooping in the closet but what triggers the though in a child's mind to say, "Hey, that toy is mine, I'm gonna bite my friend"?

As kids get older they push and punch and scratch -- maybe even pull hair sometimes but I don't recall anyone ever biting me. Maybe I should get The Youngling in to see a doctor and see if she is actually part vampire. She does seem to prefer nights to mornings.

Anyhow, I hope that the biting was just a one-time occurance because biting your friends usually has a way of coming back to bite you, so to speak.

Rookie Dad: The Day She Was Unfriended

Life is all about change. Without change I know that I would get bored and the same goes for kids. A few weeks ago after I returned home from work I asked my daughter how school had gone for her on the particular day. Her response was that some boy's name that I can't remember didn't want to be her friend any more.

This was shocking to me because I had never before that day heard her mention a boy's name from her preschool class. She routinely mentions two of the three other girls in her class but never a boy's name. It caught me off guard, though, when she mentioned this abruptly ended friendship which I was clueless about. I had no idea what to say and because it didn't seem to phase her in the least I just moved on.

I forgot about it until later that evening. Why would anyone say that they didn't want to be friends with The Youngling? She is probably the most outgoing and friendly kid this side of the Rocky Mountains. While I'm not the type to meddle in my kid's friendships I have to wonder what makes a kid, in all of their randomness, abruptly decide that they no longer want to be friends with another kid?