Lately, things have not been going well with my precocious six-year-old son. He went from hating his kindergarten class—to loving it and making new friends—to sowing his rambunctious oats and becoming a class clown. Can any of you relate? Where did my thoughtful little boy go?
So it became apparently clear last week during his class violin performance that he lacks respect for authority. First, he carelessly broke his violin bridge and had to borrow someone else’s violin. (He thought it would get him out of the performance, so I suspect he did it on purpose.) Then he chatted during the entire performance with his best friend. His teacher asked them four times to stop—but he happily carried on. He did this seeing both his parents in the audience who kept giving him “the stern look.” Apparently, that has little effect these days.
When it was his turn to perform, he did so very well—he has no stage fright and of course, picked the easiest piece to do. The next day he got in trouble for chatting during circle time. At a birthday party that afternoon, he kept wrestling and laughing loudly with all the other boys causing the magician to constantly stop and address the trouble makers in the back. Yesterday I learned that William and about five of his friends started a mock sword fight in group string class with their bows and wouldn’t stop when the teacher addressed them. It got so out of control that one child stepped on the bow of another child’s cello and broke it. (Bows cost around £25 pounds, or $50 each.) All the boys missed lunch and were sent to the principal’s office where they had to write down what they did wrong.
I agree with that strategy, as I made William write an apology note to his teacher for chatting during the class performance. But, it isn’t stopping his behavior. Yes, I know he is just six years old and boys will be boys, but when I was his age, I was terrified of getting in trouble. My son laughs it off and sails through his day with the confidence of a cocky teenager.
