The Little Stuff

The other day I was welcoming kids into class when I saw {Little Miss Sweetie} come into the building.

As a side note, I think I can say her name, but after years of having client confidentiality pounded into my head, I can't stop now.  So I will still use nicknames.  They're usually a little easier to keep track of, anyway.  Plus, Chicken Nugget Boy, Probation Kid, and The Fake Crier are way more interesting than regular names.

Back to the story.  Little Miss Sweetie is probably one of my favorite four-year-olds.  She's a little introverted and shy, but oh so sweet.  That day she made her way to her hook, hung up her bag, and then suddenly froze, staring at a small object she was holding in her hand.  Within a matter of seconds she came completely unglued.  She hadn't seen me yet, so she ran sobbing to a nearby teacher.

I hurried over to investigate and heard her say with utmost anguish, "I.. (sob) forgot... (sob, gasp) to leave... (gasp, sob) it at... (shudder, sob, gasp) home!"  In her hand she held a marble.  Yes, a marble.  It's a rule at our school that kids aren't supposed to bring toys to school.  I've seen Little Miss Sweetie get a bit upset when other kids weren't following the rules, so I'm guessing it just broke her sweet little heart that she'd accidentally broken a rule.

The other teacher took her aside to help her calm down while I went back to my class to keep things under control.  A few minutes later the other teacher brought Little Miss Sweetie to me and told me, "Ok, Miss Lindsey, we figured out what to do.  I am going to get a baggie for {Little Miss Sweetie} to put her marble in."  She then spoke to Little Miss Sweetie, "We can even write a note on the baggie that says 'For Daddy.'  How does that sound?"  Little Miss Sweetie nodded, so the other teacher said, "Ok, well we will go get a baggie, and then Miss Lindsey can help you write a note."

They returned, so Little Miss Sweetie and I wrote a note on a sandwich bag, dropped the marble into the bag, and then safely tucked the marble baggie away into her bag.  Tragedy averted.

I saw this quote a while ago on Pinterest, and I think it's a good thing to keep in mind regardless of whether or not you have kids.  Because even if you don't have kids or don't work with kids, you see kids everywhere.  If you don't, maybe you don't go grocery shopping.  Anyway, Little Miss Sweetie isn't my child and accidentally bringing a marble to school isn't really a big deal, but it was a big deal to her.  By taking her seriously and treating it like a big deal, I'm showing her that there are adults out there who will listen to her concerns, big or small, and help her.