So.. I think I scared the staff at daycare today.

It started yesterday.

Tony has a classmate in daycare, whom I’ve written about before, and he’s been in the same class as Tony through two preschools and over a span of three years.  I think of this child as my own.  Which, I know, is weird since I only see him for a few minutes a day.  But whatever.

There is a new child that gets grouped in with Tony’s class when the day is winding down and they start consolidating.  This child is older. 

Now, for the last few weeks, I swore Tony has told me to SHUT UP! on several occassions.  I figured I had to have been hearing him wrong; we don’t say that in our house and frankly, we’re not sure where he would hear it.  I assumed I was mistaken.  But even his INFLECTION was right; he’d say it out of anger, and pound his fist when he said it.  But, like all parents, I just dismissed it.

Yesterday, I stopped in to pick up Tony.  As always, the gang of boys ran over to say hey and to tell me about their day, and my other child said, “He hit my back!  He hit my back!”.  I asked him to show me and, sure enough, there was a red welt on his back.  The older child was being scolded in the back, with a mere “We don’t hit” and then dismissed.

Well, okay.  Whatever.

So my other child and I were singing a song and the older troublemaking child came over and told me to SHUT UP! DON’T SING! SHUT UP! and I looked up at him.  The afternoon teacher?  Said nothing.  Nada.  Ah.  So this is where Tony had heard it.

Then, while I was getting Tony’s jacket, that child came over and PUNCHED MY OTHER CHILD IN THE EYE.  I gathered him in my arms and tried to coax him into a calm enough state to check out his eye, while the child was told (AGAIN) that “We don’t hit”, where he promptly went and stole a book from another child and beat them over the head with it.

Needless to say, I was quite livid.  Momma Cougar had surfaced.

Bryan chuckled while I recounted this story.  “If you’re this protective over our non-child, I can’t imagine you if Tony were ever affected,” he smiled.

So today, this morning, I dropped Tony off and spoke to the morning teacher about it.  This child isn’t in there all the time, she pacified me.  Just on rare occasions.  And apparently the boys routinely get rough with eachother.

Well, okay.  They ARE two year old boys, after all.  Boys will be boys and what have you.

So today, I go in to pick Tony up and stepped in to the closed area to grab his jacket and bag.  Everyone was in a good mood, smiling and laughing and telling me about their day.

AND THAT CHILD?  REARED OFF AND SLAPPED ME ON THE THIGH.  IT STUNG.

… and I sort of don’t know what happened next, but I went all SuperNanny and grabbed the child by his arms and sat him in time out, sternly holding his gaze and growling, “No sir.  Hitting is unacceptable.  You will sit here for three minutes and then you will apologize.”

The afternoon teacher just stared at me.

I got up and dressed Tony to leave. 

“I’m.. I’m very sorry,” she said, quietly. 

“They’re all allowed one chance to hit,” I said, trying to force a smile.  “That’s how they learn.” 

Tony pointed at the child and said, “We be nice, okay, momma?”

Yes, I nodded, and we started to leave.  “And don’t you dare let that child up out of time out before his three minutes is up,” I cautioned the teacher.  It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s still got him there.

The director wasn’t there when we left, but I figure I owe her a conversation at this point.  I very clearly overstepped my boundaries by laying hands on a child when I don’t work there.  And I should say that we’ve been at this location for two years now and really truly love them.  What would you have done?