School Battle
It was a battle of wills between two fierce momma bears.
One was protecting her daughter and the other enraged with the school's decisions against her son. Neither was going to back down. The community sat divided and arguing. But when a national news van pulled up, they knew the real fight was about to start.
Time For School
Jennifer Saunders handed her son, Hunter, his backpack, and kissed him on the cheek.
Having some quiet time was nice, but more than anything, she looked forward to the moment her boy bounced off the bus and ran through the door. It would be the wonderful ritual of an after-school snack and talking about his day.
Girl Crush
One afternoon, her 6-year-old beamed with excitement as he chomped on his cheese sticks.
“What’s up, buddy?” she asked. “I kissed a girl today,” he said, sporting an enormous smile. Jennifer chuckled. “Oh yeah? Do you like this girl? She likes you?” He smirked. Little did the mom know, the one kiss was going to become a huge problem.
Mad Teacher
It was only a few days later, as she stirred his hot chocolate, that another update appeared.
“So, that girl? You still like her”. Hunter nodded, but the shine in his eyes wasn’t as bright. She braced herself. Something was wrong. He said, “I surprised her with a kiss again. But the teacher got mad.”
Confusion
With careful questioning, Jennifer found out that Hunter had been warned not to touch the girl anymore.
“In tag we touch and in gym games,” he said, clearly confused. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to take his sadness away. “I’ll talk to your teacher.” What she didn't know was that the situation would escalate the very next day.
Struggling Mother
Jennifer stared into her coffee cup and battled her own confusion.
Kids are just kids, but when should personal boundaries be taught? He was just too young to understand any of this. Besides, they were already working on his current problems. When he walked through the door, she was about to start a careful conversation, but she noticed something odd.
New Punishment
Hunter kept tugging his sleeve down. “What’s that, sweetie?” she asked.
He shrugged and grabbed a juice box. Jennifer pulled back the sleeve and saw a row of black X stamps along his forearm. “What is this?” The boy stared at the floor. “How many times I got in trouble.”
School Intervention
“What?!” He shrunk away and wouldn’t meet her eyes.
He mumbled something about the teacher keeping track of how often he touched without asking permission. It turned out each X was 2 minutes of punishment. Jennifer felt fire fill her lungs. Things only got worse when the boy pulled a note out of his bag.
More To Come
Jennifer started reading, but as each word sunk in, she started seeing red.
And when she got to the end, she was breathing acid and ready to drive to the school right then and there. It seems there was an additional, extreme, punishment the school had decided on without discussing any of it with her.
Harassment
Hunter was going to be suspended … for sexual harassment.
“They must be joking!” she muttered, seething with each word. “Suspending a 6-year-old for kissing a girl on the hand!” Jennifer grabbed her phone and immediately called the school. Things were about to explode.
Many Questions
It started as a rage-filled rant to the principal.
Not only was the suspension uncalled for and the reason ridiculous, but now her son was asking questions about the birds and bees! The school, however, had more information to put behind their decision.
Unwanted Kisses
It turns out the mother of the affected girl was equally furious.
Her daughter had come home several days in a row, complaining about a boy kissing her and wanting him to stop but “he wasn’t listening”. There was even one morning she didn’t want to go to school because of it. Next, however, came the social media battle.
Everyone's Opinion
Both mothers took to Facebook with their stories. Jennifer madly typed how it was going too far.
The other mother praised the school for protecting her daughter. The reactions were mixed and either smoothed or infuriated one of the mums. As for public opinion?
Respecting Boundaries
There were supporters for both sides, but a majority said that the schools AND parents should be teaching about respecting personal space as well as feeling the charge of “harassment” was going a little too far.
In the end, what happened to Hunter?
Settled Down
After a CNN interview, the mother of the girl decided not to take any action, legal or otherwise, as long as Hunter learns about kid-concept consent.
And, after a couple of days, the boy was back at school, playing with his friends … and not giving surprise kisses anymore. The tumultuous waters finally settled down.