embarassed child

[Sheherezade]

My daughter broke her wrist during a school assembly yesterday. Apparently, there was some martial arts demonstration and she got picked to try something and.....now we have a buckle fracture. No big deal, it will heal in 3 weeks or so. She is 5 and in kindergarten and has tearfully refused to return to school. I kept her out today because of doc appts., but clearly she's going back over the next 3 weeks. She says kids are going to tease her and keeps crying whenever we mention school. We are the new guys iin town and she doesn't have a lot of friends yet. She seems really shy at school. Any ideas to get her on the bus tomorrow? I feel so bad for her--I am such a klutz I've gotten used to the idea of publicly falling down She's breaking my heart.

Angie

[SueC]

Poor thing! Could you drive her to school instead? I've got a shy one also (she is 4) and if there is something that seems to make her especially anxious, I take her and try to be among the first to arrive so that she can have time to acclimate herself before the other kids show up. Maybe you could talk to the teacher and see if she has any suggestions.

[PrincessFiona]

Oh no, Angie..poor thing! Is her wrist painful? I wonder if there is any way to talk to her teacher first and then take her to school a little early and walk her in on the first day back?

That must have been painful and embarassing for her. Is she in a cast? Maybe she could get a few colored markers and you could get her excited about letting her friends sign it?

kris

[Sheherezade]

I'm waiting for her teacher to call me. She was out today--so I guess she has a surprise waiting for her on her voice mail . Apparently, nobody thought anything was wrong after the assembly--they just mentioned to me that she fell down and her arm hurt. She was crying when I picked her up. She cried for three hours after school---so I took her in this morning to the doctor and it's broken. When I called the school to tell them she would be out today, they were shocked. I got two calls from administrators this afternoon. They mentioned the need to file some report since it happened at school. I could hear the guilt in their voices......Clearly, they thought she was overreacting after the assembly to something minor. The guidance counselor said she wanted a picture of the martial arts guy (other kids got one) and that is what he thought she was crying about....Yikes. I'd feel bad too. I'm still not entirely sure what happened--just a martial arts move gone bad . She seems to be perking up now that her 8 year old brother is jealous ---he would love to have a cast. Markers are a good idea. So is driving her in, although she has clung so tightly to me at preschool before she had to be literally peeled off by the teacher for me to go. That could just add to her embarassment in the classroom. I just wish she wasn't so embarassed about it---I mean what kind of 5 year old would make fun of a kid with a cast?? I HOPE that doesn't really happen.

Angie

[SueC]

I know what you mean Angie--while I mentioned you driving her in in the back of my mind I was thinking the reaction you described is exactly how my child would react. She often does much worse in my presence, for instance if I go on a field trip for her preschool she is much less likely to interact with the other kids if I'm there. Could your dh take her? I doubt that the kids will make fun of her--if anything they will think it is really cool!