A few weeks ago, Hans' teacher reported
that he scratched a classmate. As usual, I felt responsible for the incident. I
sent an apology email to the classmate's mother. She was gracious and worried
that the scratch shouldn't leave a permanent scar as it heals. I got curious
and the next day, I made it a point to see this scratch; it was indeed a little
more than a scratch ... A bit deeper than a normal scratch! I felt rather sad
... It reminded me of a time when ASid scratched someone in Grade 3. At that time,
the classmate happened to be a good friend as well. The scratch then had been
very close to the eye and the parents were (rightfully) quite upset. ASid was
apologetic and said that he hadn't meant to do it and it was an accident. His
teacher advised us to make sure we clip his nails regularly! ASid was 8 then
and responsible for clipping his own nails. Hans, at the time of the incident,
was 4 ... That means we are responsible for making sure his nails are clipped!
At the end of the day, it is the most basic preventative step for accidental
scratching; and of course, letting my child know that scratching is NOT an appropriate
behaviour helps as well!
Now, the only thing I never did/do for my
boys was/is ... clip their nails! That was/is 100% Craigley's responsibility.
So, I reminded him to clip Hans' nails more frequently than usual. Of course,
we were on top of things for the first few weeks and lately, we kind of slacked
off! Since last week, ASid has been complaining that Hans' nails need to be
clipped. Their dad has been quite busy at work and relegated the task to the
weekend. Unfortunately, he started feeling a little under the weather over the
weekend and I completely forgot about the nail clipping chore!
On Sunday, ASid clipped Hans' nails for him
– both finger and toe nails. He did it very patiently and gently. No one asked
him to do it. It was a first and it was a pleasant surprise for me. ASid is 11
years old and it is probably an expectation for someone his age in other
households or other parts of the world. In our home, it is not an expectation at
all; hence, it is a big deal for me. Just watching ASid clip his little
brother's nails was a beautiful sight to behold. The best part was when Hans
exclaimed, "You are better than dad!" And he followed that with, "You
are my best brother!".
A lovely Momley moment! Thank you boys for
getting along some days J
