The school office is a scary place for most kids. Here’s a conversation I had with Gabi yesterday:

“Our lunch ladies are so mean!” she said.

“Why?” I asked.

“They were teasing this girl I know and calling her fat and chubby and laughing,” she replied

“What?! These are grown-ups, right?” I asked.

“Yes. I asked my friend if she liked what they were saying and she said no but that it was ok. So I told them to stop because my friend didn’t want them to say that.” Gabi explained.

“What did they say?” I asked. – These were adults?!

“They said that my friend knew that they were joking and did I want to go to the office with them?” my daughter replied.

“What did you say?”

“I said sorry and walked away. That made me scared.”

I was very proud of Gabi and told her so. She clearly felt that she had failed her friend and I explained to her that she had done something that most people wouldn’t have done. We had a big discussion about the office and why she felt it was a scary place. She said that the office was a place you went to when you had done something wrong. I replied that while that was true sometimes that it was also a place to go to for protection or help. She didn’t look convinced. And here’s another problem. She does not want me to “deal” with anything and I have to respect her wishes if I want her to continue to feel comfortable sharing with me. Any suggestions anyone?