The Principal's Office

I was only called into the Principal's Office because of one of my sons once. It was pretty funny. I understand that's not usually the case, but this time it was. The principal and I were both laughing.

I got a call at home from the secretary at the elementary school. She asked me if I would please come in to speak with the principal about my eldest son. I asked if he was in trouble, and was told that he was, but not to worry. Just come in a few minutes early and speak to the principal before picking up my son. So in I went.

When I got there, I was surprised to find the gentleman laughing. He handed me a note in my son's careful printing. On double-lined paper, it said, "I send a bad word." Then there were a couple of spaces, and underneath, it said "Signed." Below that, "Mama" and "Dady" were penciled in with the same careful printing.

It seems he had been told to write the note, then take it home to have it signed by his parents. That's the way he brought it back to school, so his teacher had sent it on to the principal to handle. He figured I'd want to keep it as a souvenir, and he also wanted us to know that our son had used a four letter word for animal matter on the playground. Then he called the classroom and had them send in the boy. When the kid arrived and saw the two of us and the note, he was mortified. He was also really confused. How did they know his parents hadn't signed that note? He had a hard time understanding that.

This is the same kid who went to a Cub Scout meeting with two of his older cousins. When he wandered off by himself the Cub Scout Leader asked him who his mother was. "Mama," he said. "But what's her name?" he wanted to know. "Mama," he answered. "Well, what does your Daddy call her?" he then asked him. "Oh, well, he calls her Ma'am." About that time my sister came up and rescued the poor man. A child's mind is difficult to fathom.