mission accomplished
So I made an appointment to talk to the girls' school principle today. Luckily, she was able to fit me in right before the end of the day, so I just went over there a little earlier than I would have.
I don't know why, but for some reason I was nervous. It's weird - things that wouldn't have bothered me a bit back home have started to really stress me out out here. I don't know why; I only know that it is happening.
Mrs. Y was very helpful, though. I only wanted to tell her what had happened over the girls' spring break so that if there were any problems at school, she would know where the trouble was coming from.
On Friday, the 5th of April, a girl my 11-year-old (C1) was previously friends with (I'll call her CT) came to the door and pushed past my 7-year-old (L) and barged her way up the stairs to C1's bedroom. I heard it happen, but thought nothing of it at the time, because my girls are always stomping up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants. It wasn't until C1 was going to bed that she realized her cell phone had been taken. I immediately tried to call her phone, to see if anybody picked up, but they'd turned it off. We knew that another one of C1's friends, B, had been with CT at the time, so we tried to call her at home, but her mom had her cell phone turned off (and that's the only phone they have). The next morning, C1 finally got in touch with B, and she demanded to know what had happened to her phone. B took C1 to CT's street and showed her where everything happened, and C1 came home and told me that they'd smashed their phone.
Later that night, we got a better explanation. Apparently B was feeling really badly about what they'd done to C1, so she went crying to her mother and explained everything - including the fact that she'd been in on it, as she'd stolen the charger for the phone. Her mother marched her right to my door and gave B the chance to explain everything to C1 and I. It turned out that after they'd stolen it, and I had tried ringing the phone, they turned it off. Only by doing that, they fucked themselves up. See, the phone used to be mine, but I gave it to C1 as a Christmas present this past year, complete with a new cover. When I had it, I had put a lock on it so that one of the kids couldn't pick it up and start calling people at random. I never took the lock off; instead I just gave C1 the code (didn't matter anymore, it's not like I was still using it). So when CT and B and the other girls (I can't remember their names, they weren't anybody we knew very well anyway) turned off the phone, they made it impossible for them to use it. Because when they tried to turn it back on again, they couldn't. Which meant that the £3-something C1 still had on her phone wasn't going to be used by them, at least.
When I finally found out what had happened (after C1 came home the first time), I called the police and filled out a report. They had come, and spoken to C1, and she told them what she knew at the time. When B and her mother came to our door, the police hadn't gotten to them yet, although C1 had given them her name and address.
But then a week later, on Friday the 12th of April, CT comes around again (and never by herself - funny, that). This time she begins by yelling at C1, telling C1 that she (CT) has gotten a fine from the police for stealing her (C1) phone, so C1 had to pay for it. HUH?!?! How the hell does she figure that one out? Then, when C1 wouldn't hear any of it, CT starts beating up on L. CT is 10, L is 7. And she's very small for her age - she keeps getting teased at school, by people telling her that she should be in Reception because she looks like she's only five. So there's this girl, twice her age, punching her in the stomach for absolutely no reason at all. By the time C1 came in the house and told me what was happening and I went out there, CT was gone (lucky for her!). I immediately went back into the house and found the paperwork from the last police report and tried to contact the same officer again about this incident.
While I was speaking to the woman on the phone (dispatcher? I'm not sure), I was explaining to her what had happened and why I wanted to leave a message for the officer we'd already spoken to. She said it needed to be filled out as a separate police report, and she would send officers my way as soon as possible.
So they finally show up at like 8:30 that night, and we explain what happened. They go over there, and of course CT's all tears and terror. But from what I hear about this kid, the last thing she is is afraid of the police. After the cops had left the first time, C1 told me that CT's always getting in trouble with the police, as well as drinking and smoking. At ten years old!!!
So the cops call me back and tell me what happened, and for about the third time told me that I should say something to the school about this. Okay, no problem... once school opens again.
So that's what I went to see the principal about. Like I said above, I was mainly concerned that CT would start some trouble with C1 or even L or C2 at school. I was really hoping she wouldn't, but I thought it was in my girls' best interests to say something. Not only did Mrs. Y say that she would keep an eye on things, she also said that she was going to pull CT and her teacher into her office tomorrow and have a talk with them.
As I said to Mrs. Y, I really don't care if this kid likes my kids or not. That's not the issue. But if she doesn't like them, she can just leave them the hell alone. I've told my girls to stay away from her, and I wish she would do the same for them.
I was just so surprised at Mrs. Y's reaction. At the girls' old school, I would have been all nicety-niced to, but then they wouldn't do a damned thing about it. Those girls were getting bullied horrendously at that old school, and the staff never did a thing about it. (And I've heard some horrible things about what they did to one of L's and C2's friends from that old school, who happens to have Down's Syndrome. I shudder to even think about it.) I wasn't really sure what her reaction was going to be, but what I got was the last thing I'd expected to get. I feel a lot better about it now.
Maybe now I won't worry quite so much when I send them to school.
I don't know why, but for some reason I was nervous. It's weird - things that wouldn't have bothered me a bit back home have started to really stress me out out here. I don't know why; I only know that it is happening.
Mrs. Y was very helpful, though. I only wanted to tell her what had happened over the girls' spring break so that if there were any problems at school, she would know where the trouble was coming from.
On Friday, the 5th of April, a girl my 11-year-old (C1) was previously friends with (I'll call her CT) came to the door and pushed past my 7-year-old (L) and barged her way up the stairs to C1's bedroom. I heard it happen, but thought nothing of it at the time, because my girls are always stomping up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants. It wasn't until C1 was going to bed that she realized her cell phone had been taken. I immediately tried to call her phone, to see if anybody picked up, but they'd turned it off. We knew that another one of C1's friends, B, had been with CT at the time, so we tried to call her at home, but her mom had her cell phone turned off (and that's the only phone they have). The next morning, C1 finally got in touch with B, and she demanded to know what had happened to her phone. B took C1 to CT's street and showed her where everything happened, and C1 came home and told me that they'd smashed their phone.
Later that night, we got a better explanation. Apparently B was feeling really badly about what they'd done to C1, so she went crying to her mother and explained everything - including the fact that she'd been in on it, as she'd stolen the charger for the phone. Her mother marched her right to my door and gave B the chance to explain everything to C1 and I. It turned out that after they'd stolen it, and I had tried ringing the phone, they turned it off. Only by doing that, they fucked themselves up. See, the phone used to be mine, but I gave it to C1 as a Christmas present this past year, complete with a new cover. When I had it, I had put a lock on it so that one of the kids couldn't pick it up and start calling people at random. I never took the lock off; instead I just gave C1 the code (didn't matter anymore, it's not like I was still using it). So when CT and B and the other girls (I can't remember their names, they weren't anybody we knew very well anyway) turned off the phone, they made it impossible for them to use it. Because when they tried to turn it back on again, they couldn't. Which meant that the £3-something C1 still had on her phone wasn't going to be used by them, at least.
When I finally found out what had happened (after C1 came home the first time), I called the police and filled out a report. They had come, and spoken to C1, and she told them what she knew at the time. When B and her mother came to our door, the police hadn't gotten to them yet, although C1 had given them her name and address.
But then a week later, on Friday the 12th of April, CT comes around again (and never by herself - funny, that). This time she begins by yelling at C1, telling C1 that she (CT) has gotten a fine from the police for stealing her (C1) phone, so C1 had to pay for it. HUH?!?! How the hell does she figure that one out? Then, when C1 wouldn't hear any of it, CT starts beating up on L. CT is 10, L is 7. And she's very small for her age - she keeps getting teased at school, by people telling her that she should be in Reception because she looks like she's only five. So there's this girl, twice her age, punching her in the stomach for absolutely no reason at all. By the time C1 came in the house and told me what was happening and I went out there, CT was gone (lucky for her!). I immediately went back into the house and found the paperwork from the last police report and tried to contact the same officer again about this incident.
While I was speaking to the woman on the phone (dispatcher? I'm not sure), I was explaining to her what had happened and why I wanted to leave a message for the officer we'd already spoken to. She said it needed to be filled out as a separate police report, and she would send officers my way as soon as possible.
So they finally show up at like 8:30 that night, and we explain what happened. They go over there, and of course CT's all tears and terror. But from what I hear about this kid, the last thing she is is afraid of the police. After the cops had left the first time, C1 told me that CT's always getting in trouble with the police, as well as drinking and smoking. At ten years old!!!
So the cops call me back and tell me what happened, and for about the third time told me that I should say something to the school about this. Okay, no problem... once school opens again.
So that's what I went to see the principal about. Like I said above, I was mainly concerned that CT would start some trouble with C1 or even L or C2 at school. I was really hoping she wouldn't, but I thought it was in my girls' best interests to say something. Not only did Mrs. Y say that she would keep an eye on things, she also said that she was going to pull CT and her teacher into her office tomorrow and have a talk with them.
As I said to Mrs. Y, I really don't care if this kid likes my kids or not. That's not the issue. But if she doesn't like them, she can just leave them the hell alone. I've told my girls to stay away from her, and I wish she would do the same for them.
I was just so surprised at Mrs. Y's reaction. At the girls' old school, I would have been all nicety-niced to, but then they wouldn't do a damned thing about it. Those girls were getting bullied horrendously at that old school, and the staff never did a thing about it. (And I've heard some horrible things about what they did to one of L's and C2's friends from that old school, who happens to have Down's Syndrome. I shudder to even think about it.) I wasn't really sure what her reaction was going to be, but what I got was the last thing I'd expected to get. I feel a lot better about it now.
Maybe now I won't worry quite so much when I send them to school.