Kids love socializing and playing games during their free time, but that's usually where things go wrong.
Almost every day I have to warn my kids about the dangers of recess. Yes, recess, a time when kids shouldn't have to worry about a thing.
I'll urge them to be careful on the schoolyard, to not get into any fights and give in to peer pressure.
I'm sure every parent tells this to their kids hoping that they'll be smart enough to do the right thing, but that's not always a case.
Kids come home from school with all kinds of bruises, scrapes, and cuts.
But what if your son comes home with a pierced ear that's gushing with blood? And what if he claims an older student did that to him, but he was blamed for it?
An anonymous mother shared her story on Mumsnet, a parenting forum, hoping to see what other parents would do in situation like this.
A Mother's Nightmare
The concerned mother, who goes by the username "upsideup," claims that an 11-year-old girl pierced her 8-year-old son's ear during their lunchtime break.
"The story that I've been told is that he said he wanted it done, she said she knows how to do and had done her friends before and so he ended up lying on the bench surrounded by her friends while she pierced it. [My son] says he was crying and screaming when she did it but the school reckons nobody heard this. He ended up getting blood on the school table, on his homework and a lot all down his shirt after lunch so had to tell the teacher."
Her boy said the girl used a safety pin on her own earring, but that she cleaned it with hand sanitizer before piercing his ear.
The mom knows that her son is to blame for asking to get his ear pierced, when he should have known better, but the fact that he got the full blame for it makes her furious.
"It very much seemed that the school had decided that as [my son] was certain that he told her she could do it, that she hadn't actually done anything wrong and [my son] is the one who misbehaved and is in big trouble," she wrote.
The school punished the young boy by making him "redo his half term homework and to stay in at lunch by himself for the rest of the week."
Also, the fact that her son is three years younger than the girl who pierced his ears, the mother expected there to be some sort of punishment for her.
"That seems a lot more serious and inappropriate to me... At 11 she is definitely old enough to know that this is not okay and if she doesn't then I think she needs to be taught so now," the frustrated mother added.
Now what she really wants to know is how her son's screams were not heard by staff. And how did no one see what was happening?
It seems very irresponsible of the school for not preventing something like this from happening.
We put our kids in the hands of these trusted professionals and hope that they can keep our kids safe. Besides, doesn't every school have teacher's on duty during recess and lunchtime?
"I know this isn't the schools fault but it seems a bit odd that nobody noticed any of this," she concluded.
Not everyone agrees with the frustrated mother.
"So your son pressured another child in to doing something wrong, got caught and appropriately punished? They probably made sure to tell the girl it was wrong and not to get lead in to trouble again and punished her appropriately," one parent wrote.
"She didn't hurt your son. Your son hurt your son. Hes your problem to deal with, she's not."
One parent didn't think what happened was a big deal at all.
"I think there are some rather hysterical posts about this on here. It's a prick with a needle, it will heal. Kids experiment with this kind of stuff sometimes," another user wrote.
But many parents agree with her and are equally astonished by how this situation was dealt with.
"My god, I'd be furious! How can they think the girl has done nothing wrong?" another parent commented. "Just because another child says it's okay to do something that doesn't mean it is. Surely she should know that it was still wrong anyway, and if she didn't then she needs to be told."
"I can't believe this! They're doing NOTHING to deal with the child that stuck a sharp instrument into your child's ear? Are they insane?" another added.
Some are going as far as to say that this is "assault."
"I'd remind the school that they are supposed to be keeping your child safe. Tell them he is too young to consent to having his ears pierced so he has been assaulted on their watch," one user added.
One parent thinks the school is at fault.
"They had time to discuss it, he was then able to lie down, have his ear pierced whilst surround by a crowd and in all this time no adults noticed ... Where were all the grown ups???" the user wrote.
What do you think? Should both kids have been punished? Was this the school's fault?
[H/T: Cafemom]
If this story shocked you, you're in for a big surprise. One mother is sparking a social media debate after she revealed on live radio that she still bathes with her pre-teen sons. For more on the story, click here.
