Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

The names have been changed to protect the cherub

08.21.2008 by David Murray // 7 Comments

Read from bottom-up to see the e-mail exchange I somehow restrained myself from having yesterday with the parent of a four-year-old at Scout's Montessori school:

 

Dear Ms. Thornbush—

Yesterday Brady walked up to Elizabeth and blasted her across the cheek in just the sort of unprovoked attack that has become his modus operandi at the Montessori Academy. We hope he does better at the military school we hopefully assume you're sending him to.

Thank you for taking him away,

The Murrays

 —— Forwarded Message
From: Evelyn Thornbush
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:11:44 -0500
Subject: Brady's last day at The Academy

It is with a heavy heart that I write this to let you know that Friday August 29th will be Brady's last day at the Montessori Academy.  

We have enjoyed being a part of the school community, and appreciate the friendship, support and learning environment that you provided for Asher and our family.  You are amazing teachers and families and we would very much like to keep in touch.

Mike, Evelyn, and Brady Thornbush

_________________________
 Evelyn Thornbush | Associate Strategist | Global Quantitative Management
Please visit northerntrust.com.

Categories // Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Susan says

    August 21, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    LOL!!! I know so many parents who would love to respond in a similar manner. Here is one for you. My friend’s daughter was being bullied by another four-year-old at the school. Attempting to teach her daughter to stand up for herself in a polite way, she told her to respond with a statement learned at Sunday school. The next day, when taunted by the bully, the child responded, “Jesus loves you even though you are mean.” Expecting to get a call from the director, my friend proactively told her what had happened. The director guffawed because…the bully and his family are Jewish.

    Reply
  2. David Murray says

    August 21, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    That’s pretty good, Susan.
    I don’t want to pick on these parents; love is blind and parental love is blind, deaf and dumb. (I know; I are one.)
    But it’s just so funny when your kid comes home with tales of other parents’ little angels taking off their shoes and smacking other kids in the cheek “for no reason!”

    Reply
  3. David Murray says

    August 21, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Or the kid in my wife’s class who was beating the daylights out of a kid and when pulled off him, told Cristie, “I was just getting my exercise, Miss Bosch!”

    Reply
  4. Susan says

    August 21, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    “I was just getting my exercise…” LOL! Agreed, we are all blind, deaf and dumb when it comes to our children. They are just magical beings! What I do find interesting is how the kids, at ages 2 and 3, already know who the bully is in their classes! My husband took a poll when dropping off our daughter the other day (the kids love him because they “roar like tigers” at him and he roars back) and seven of them named the same boy.

    Reply
  5. David Murray says

    August 21, 2008 at 2:39 pm

    Yes, Scout the other day said. “Dad, you know what? I think Freda is a little mean.”

    Reply
  6. Amy says

    August 22, 2008 at 12:17 pm

    It’s funny, yes, but one of my kids was bullied in school this year to the point where we had to engage a psycologist to help said child over the trauma. Not so funny anymore. I know our instinct as parents is to find everything our kids do charming and delightful. But I hope if my child were behaving badly, someone would tell me in a calm, even way, so I could do something about it.

    Reply
  7. Amy says

    August 22, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    It’s funny, yes, but one of my kids was bullied in school this year to the point where we had to engage a psycologist to help said child over the trauma. Not so funny anymore. I know our instinct as parents is to find everything our kids do charming and delightful. But I hope if my child were behaving badly, someone would tell me in a calm, even way, so I could do something about it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Now Available

An Effort to Understand

Order Now

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE BLOG UPDATES

About

David Murray writes on communication issues.
Read More

 

Categories

  • Baby Boots
  • Communication Philosophy
  • Efforts to Understand
  • Happy Men, and Other Eccentrics
  • Human Politicians
  • Mister Boring
  • Murray Cycle Diaries
  • Old Boots
  • Rambling, At Home and Abroad
  • Sports Stories
  • The Quotable Murr
  • Typewriter Truths
  • Uncategorized
  • Weird Scenes Inside the Archives

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

  • Preorder An Effort to Understand
  • Sign Up for Blog Updates
  • About David Murray