My son just got home from school and handed me two notes. He is not a kid who gets in trouble so I wasn’t concerned. Although he takes great pleasure in preparing me for that unlikely event every now and then by coming in the house after school and announcing he has been suspended. “Just joking, mom!”
I ask him which note I should open first and hands me the one that is a form letter or copy sent to everyone and no one in particular. This note says that some staff had overheard some children talking which led them to question a student which then led them to find a gun in another students locker. That’s it. No details, no names. According to my son the child was immediately expelled and may have been in the jr. high. But he has only heard rumors. I’m sure this will be on the 5 o’clock news tonight but I doubt I will learn any more than that.
I want to know who this child was that got hold of a gun. I want to know what these kinds of kids look like and then I want someone to point out his parents. I’m assuming its a boy but I really don’t know. I want to know where they live so I can keep my son away from them.
The second note was an invitation for my son to start taking college courses. He is a freshman.
This whole “two Americas” thing that John Edwards was pushing really hits home sometimes. Kids with guns used to be Big News, but now it’s just another day in the life.
Social shunning doesn’t work very well any more unless the shunners are a a community that matters to the shunnees. For example, if my neighbors all shunned me, I’d barely notice, except for the ones to the south, but if my circle of friends shunned me, I’d be very hurt. If people at work shunned me, I’m not sure how I’d cope.
Oh yeah, congrats on your son’s accomplishments.
So how do I go about shunning? I really want to shun this child who turned out to be a 7th grade boy! I want to shun his parents even more but don’t know who they are.
I think you actually have to be a part of their social circle to shun them.
It sounds like I’m making light of this, but I’m not. This kind of thing must stop.
I’m not joking either. Peer pressure works for both good and bad I’m willing to take advantage of it.