Everyday at bus time, when I sit in the Rest Stop he approaches me for a hug… problem is, he tries to somehow turn the hug into lap sitting. He literally tries to climb into my lap. Each day I gently push him off and tell him to stand up if he wants to give me a hug. He never argues or questions me… until today.
“But why can’t I just sit in your lap?” He asked innocently.
“Martin, I know you sit in your mom and dad’s lap at home, but at school, it’s just not allowed,” I explained.
I’m not sure if there is an explicit rule against lap sitting… I’m guessing some female kindergarten teachers may allow it, but I know if anyone walked by and saw that boy sitting on my lap, it wouldn’t be looked upon fondly. It’s also a slippery slope. If I let him, I’d have many others climbing up for a turn. My lap can’t handle that much traffic.
“Well, you can hug me and hold my hand, but we just can’t have lap sitting at school… it’s just one of those rules we have to obey…” I continued.
“But I love you,” he reasoned.
“I love you too, but we can show each other in other ways,” I explained.
“Ok, an extra hug then?” He asked.
“Of course,” I said as he fell into my arms.
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3 comments:
Good call. That happens every year. As a fellow male kindergarten teacher, I certainly relate and I'd handle it the same way. Always good to be above reproach.
Aw....this makes me so sad for you. You're right, my babies sit in my lap a lot. But, I can totally see what you're saying. I personally wouldn't think anything of it if I saw a sprout sitting in your lap, but I could see how others might. :(
Unfortunately we live in a society that we have to be extra careful. I think you made a good call, but I wish it could be different. :-( As a female I wouldn't allow lap-sitting, either. One of my first experiences in an early childhood was in a program where we were not allowed to touch the children at all. No high fives, no touches on the shoulder, nothing. I guess that got me almost paranoid.
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