One thing I’ve learned from being Adlani’s mom is never to ask whether he did what he’s being accused of. For example, instead of asking, “Did you hit your sister?” (the answer is always an indignant “No!”), I ask him, “How many times did you hit your sister?” (“Just one, but she deserved it!”)
So a couple of days ago when I heard about an altercation on the Summer Scene bus, I called Adlani downstairs for his arraignment. After about 10 minutes of various stories and false accusations to get himself out of trouble, Aliya told me the story in great detail.
It apparently had to do with his disregard for the seatbelt rule, and his distaste for being told what to do in general. When Aliya and a very nice 4th-grade boy explained to Adlani that he should wear his seatbelt because he wasn’t safe without it, Adlani replied, “Shut up @sshole!” Where does he get that sh!t?? 😉
When I asked Adlani, “Why did you say ‘Shut up @sshole’ ?” (instead of “Did you say…”), Adlani’s response was, “It was all I could think of.”
Yesterday Adlani told me that a kid was picking on him on the bus. I told him that the regular school bus driver didn’t allow bullying on her bus, so when he goes to kindergarten she’ll deal with it. I said, “But I need you to tell me who’s picking on you, like ‘Joe Blow said I stink’ . ” Completely serious, Adlani responded, “Yeah! That’s who was picking on me! Joe Blow!”
I can already tell that this year’s kindergarten experience will be much different than two years ago. I just hope he doesn’t get expelled or set fire to the school. Wish me luck!
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