Today my daughter got in trouble for the very first time at school. She has had her good school days and her bad ones ... but today was her first referral. She got sent to the principal's office for behaving in a terribly inappropriate manner towards another student. I don't even really have a whole lot to say about this because I haven't fully recovered from the shock yet. Teenybop has never, ever done anything like this before ... heck, she didn't even bite people when she was a baby! She didn't hit other kids, she didn't take toys from other kids ... This is so unlike her.
And the worst part is that I don't know why she did it. I mean, I know the reason she gave, but I don't know if the behavior is a reaction to her recent change in medications, I don't know if it is another manifestation of ADHD, and most of all, I don't know what to do to advocate for my child.
I am going to call her pediatrician who is in charge of her medication and see what they think, and I have made an appointment to get her into counseling/therapy to see if it will do any good or give me a better understanding of her. I have punished her for the behavior and we have talked about why it was wrong. She talked with her principal about why it was wrong and they brainstormed more appropriate ways for her to conduct herself if she should ever be in that position again. She is also being punished at school, and while I am in full agreement with most of the consequences presented to her, I am fully incensed by some of the others, and will be spending this evening and possibly tomorrow morning working to have the more inappropriate (in my mind) consequences reversed.
Tonight I am heavy hearted, worried for my daughter's future and for her friendship, as the classmate she disagreed with has been a close friend all year and I know it would break Teenybop's heart to lose her friend. As an adult, I understand why the other child might want to end her friendship with my girl ... I certainly wouldn't stay friends with someone if they did to me what Teenybop did to her friend. But as her mother I would want to protect her from such a hurtful thing as losing a friend.
What a day, what a day.
