Good news first: Gavin loves going to preschool! He loves his teacher and tells me the names of most of his fellow toddlers. He has grown such a love for his teacher she now has a hard time leaving him without tears coming from Geedge. In fact, he feels so comfortable at school he has been able to come out of his shy shell and be the real 'Gavin' we all love and fear. Unfortunately, for a little boy, Adir, the real Gavin, um, well,
bites when toys are taken from him. That would be the bad news, folks.
Honestly, I can't be too shocked, I knew the day was coming. This summer I kept having dreams of being called by the director telling me we would need to find another place for Gavin as he had made his classmates all scared. Gavin has been a defender of what he thinks is his from a very young age. I remember him biting Harrison when he was barely nine months old! Is that our primal instinctive way to protect ourselves? What makes some kids take matters into their own hands and others simply cry for adult intervention? Harrison has
never bitten, he opts for option B--telling Mom and Dad what was unjustly taken.
And, I know this is crazy, and it sounds even crazier as I write it, but there is a part of me that likes Gavin defending himself. We have to often encourage Harrison to stick up for himself. He will so quickly allow someone to take something, or push their way in front of him, or even allow himself to be hit by other kids. I'm glad they're close in age, they can help balance one another out during school years. Harrison could learn the wonderful life lesson of not being taken advantage of by his little brother. And, likewise, Gavin could learn the lesson Harrison has mastered so well, 'honey will get you a lot more than vinegar,'
Back to Gavin's biting incident. It was entertaining having him retell the story to me in his oh-so-broken-words about why he bit Adir, his subsequent time-out, followed by an apology and hug. He kept showing me exactly how he clamped down his jaw on his arm.
This is how he opened his mouth, preparing for the bite.
This may look like a smile, but imagine a chunk of flesh between those chompers.
It isn't pretty.
Then, he had to sit in time-out. This is pretending to be crying.
Followed by a remorseful, "I'm sorry, Adir." How can you resist those big brown eyes?
