Throwing rocks

Squish’s classmates have discovered the “I’m not your friend any more” game.  His two best friends from last year are in his class again this year, but seem to have found other things to do rather than play with Squish.  As is normal for him, he welcomes all comers to “Planet Inigo”, but doesn’t really seem interested in visiting the “play spaces” of others.  

Last week he was playing after school with some friends while I waited to chat with the teacher*.  When I went to find him, he seemed upset.  His friends had been throwing rocks and acorns at him, and hitting him.  The young brother (pre-school age) of another kid was with them.  The little one had been hitting him really hard, and E. said to Inigo, “you better run away, he might kill you”.  Both comical, and deeply disturbing, as I have no doubt that this particular kid was giving it all he had.

So teachers and head teachers have been consulted, and we are trying to repair the relationship with the two others.  I had a chat with him about popularity, and how things tend to work in schools.

“There will be the popular kids, the ones everyone likes and wants to be around.  The ones who seem to always be happy and never have a problem.  The ones who seem to pull invisible strings and make things happen.  Then there are the ones with the invisible targets painted on them.  The ones that always get picked on and harassed, who never seem to catch a break.  And then there are the truly cool kids, the ones that (even if the other kids don’t get it) will be the artists and the rock starts and the ones who change the world.  The ones who know themselves, and know what they like, and just get on with what they want to do, regardless of what anyone around them thinks, or does to try to stop them”.

“I think that sounds like me, mama”.

He’ll be ok.

(*issues with school are ongoing.  Kid is still refusing to prove what he is capable of by doing any actual schoolwork, but complains endlessly about school being boring.  Stay tuned for discussion of my efforts to navigate the system on his behalf)