Mummy the slavedriver!

Got a call from Caitlin's school again - this time it was Caitlin's Art teacher. Here's how it went:

Mrs Chong, I am Caitlin's Art Teacher. Caitlin is crying now and says she has a tummyache. Would you like to come and pick her up from school?

Ms Wong right? Ms Wong, no I would not want to come and pick her up. This just happened on Tuesday. Is there anything that she seems worried or upset about?

Well, she didn't bring her art work from last week and when I asked her about it, she said she was very busy at home, that you asked her to do a lot of work to do at home and so she forgot. Then she started crying and I called you.

Huh? Me?? Ask her to do a lot of work at home? Like what?

She says she has to mop the floor everyday, sweep the kitchen all the time... (at this point I let loose one hyena yell of laughter - sorry couldn't help it. Oh Cinderalla, you've been a bad bad bad influence on my daughter!)

Ms Wong, there is nothing wrong with Caitlin. I think she's just very anxious about some things like when she does not bring things, or when there is Spelling etc. She'll be alright after a while if you talk to her. On my part, I will speak to her when she comes home but I don't think there is a need to bring her home now.

True enough. When Cait came home and I asked how was school, she went breezily: Fine! School was fun!

In case you think she is schizo, she really isn't. She's just a very antsy, high-strung 6-year-old who stresses out at the thought of being on any Figure of Authority's bad books. She really stresses out and freaks out over these issues. Had to really talk to her last night about why she should not do that. Apart from getting an ulcer by the time she's 8, its no joy for me to keep getting phone calls from the school to come pick her up.

Maybe I need to teach her some deep breathing/conscious breathing skills that I teach my birth classes! I've already taught Owain this and it's paying off! Everytime he screams and howls, I remind him to take deep breaths. And it works! He usually calms down enough to talk intelligibly.

Finally, we came to an agreement that I should not send her to school for ballet - it makes her too sad to say goodbye and to leave me and she would brood about it and feel lousy after that. Okay. So I got to speak to Mama and Granddad about being her new transport service. We also agreed that she would come to me if she ever felt scared about anything in school and not stress out about in school. We agreed that Ms Ang and her teachers were really truly not child-eating ogres in disguise and they were genuinely very nice and caring people who would not eat her up if she forgot to bring a book. She agreed that she would now save her stomach aches for home instead of school.

And she agreed that she would not tell anyone anymore how I slave-drive her at home with a whip to clean the kitchen sink with a toothbrush every morning at 4am.