All in a Day's Work - Part 1

Scene: Two small children go to a Trusted Adult, carrying a serious complaint. One of them is crying.

 

Child A: (sobbing)He hit me!

Trusted Adult: (to Child B) Is this true, did you hit him? (points at Child A)

Child B: (looks down at the ground) Yes.

 

 

I am old and haggard because of these things. Age and experience has taught me that this has more to it than meets the eye. Either way, I will not like it. But I must deal with it. I am the Trusted Adult and I must help them deal with it.

 

Trusted Adult: (to Child B)Do you understand that hurting the people around you is wrong?

Child B: (tears start to form) Yes.

Trusted Adult: And why do you think is it not ok to hurt others?

Child B: because then other people can hurt me back.

Trusted Adult: (deep breath) so, now, tell me. What made you hit him?

Child B: He pushed his socks into my face!

 

I am old and haggard because of these things. Age and experience has taught me that this has more to it than meets the eye. Either way, I will not like it. But I must deal with it. I am the Trusted Adult and I must help them deal with it.

 

Trusted Adult: (dramatically turns to Child A, who has now realized that he might have done something wrong) Is this true, that before he punched you, you pushed your socks into his face?

Child A: no…it was because….

Trusted Adult: (cuts off and increases her volume, and draws herself up a couple of inches) Is this true, that before he punched you, you pushed your socks into his face? (raises eyebrows in a you-better-answer-yes-or-no-ONLY-or-else manner)

Child A: (meekly) Yes.

Trusted Adult: And in between the pushing of the socks and the punching of the face, did anything else happen that I should know of?

Child A: No.

Child B: No.

 

 

I am old and haggard because of these things. Age and experience has taught me that this has more to it than meets the eye. Either way, I will not like it. But I must deal with it. I am the Trusted Adult and I must help them deal with it.

 

 

Trusted Adult: So it is hereby agreed by both parties here that (a) One person has punched the other and (b) the person was punched for pushing socks into the first person’s face?

Both children: Yes.

Trusted Adult: (even more dramatically turns to Child A) and please explain to everybody here why is it that you found the need to thrust your socks into his face? Was it an accident?

Child A: No, it wasn’t an accident.

Trusted Adult: So! You purposefully marched up to your friend with your socks in hand, and pushed it into his face. Did you say anything to him before you did that?

Child A: (realizing just how bad things are looking for him) No.

Trusted Adult: So, no “hello, good afternoon”, no “nice day, ol’ chap” or anything of the likes, and you suddenly thrust the socks into his face?

Child A: yes.

Trusted Adult: Did it occur to you that perhaps your friend just might be a little oh, I don’t know,..surprised by this sudden appearance of foot accessory on his face?

Child A: No.

Trusted Adult: So you admit that you forgot to think of your friend’s feelings?

Child A: Yes.

Trusted Adult: And as a result, your friend has given you some extra feelings – of pain, when he hit you.

 

 

I am old and haggard because of these things. Age and experience has taught me that this has more to it than meets the eye. Either way, I will not like it. But I must deal with it. I am the Trusted Adult and I must help them deal with it.

 

 

Trusted Adult: (turns suddenly to Child B) And you, do you understand that despite how understandably upset you might have been, you should not have resorted to violence?

Child B: Yes (looks at Child A apologetically).

 

 

 

How I wish I could have ended the case then and there. But there was a niggling feeling that not all the pus was out just yet. I had to dig deeper. I hated these sort of things, but well, that’s what happens when you are the Trusted Adult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…..but that, is for another day…..