Good morning ya'll, I don't normally "vent" here but I need to get this out.

Everybody that's ever had a child in school realizes there is always that "one" kid at risk.
The one that doesn't show up for school on the first day with their school supplies and between the PTSO/Teacher/Another mom sending extra they get their supplies.
The one you see clean their entire tray in the lunchroom and it makes you want to grab the leftover banana, apple or orange off someone else's tray and slip it in their backpack.
The one who consistently brings back their homework folder FULL, untouched, unsigned and unattended to.

Well yesterday, I was on a field trip with my oldest kiddo and something was said about the Christmas Party that will be held today.
The teacher proceeds to share that {{insert The One's name here}} told the teacher (in a sassy voice mimicking her mother-no the girl isn't like that) that her mom told her to tell the teacher that they had already spent too much money this year on Christmas and that she could not bring the item she had been assigned for the party. (less than 2 dollars including tax).

Here's my point... Why SHAME the CHILD more???-----
I wanted to scream
"Hey MOM, if money is the issue, then WRITE a note... seal it... send it to the teacher.... Don't make your daughter come in and tell the teacher that. .

We can cover the party item and yes, we may even have to cover your daughter's girls gift exchange gift so she can participate! Just like we covered her ticket to the field trip, and even her SACK LUNCH yesterday because she wasn't getting a free lunch tray from the school cafeteria.

It's one thing to be broke, it's entirely another to hold your children down by that stigma as well.


Thanks for letting me vent.
I guess the stress is on high today...

X

Will ya'll send Christmas prayers that her and children like her can have a blessed Christmas?
I just feel so badly for her.

There is one girl in my son's high school class..she lives with her grandparents..she had a black eye one day..she fainted the other day at school and I think it was because we had a parade at around 8 pm and she did not get lunch..so she went from after school to around 9 without food. I made her up a huge package of gifts and sent it to school with my son. she sorted likes my son and It was not to shame her. I see kids without coats , only jackets in the winter, some boys look like they never had a hair cut their entire life...it is very sad. I agree..

__________________
Live, Love, Laugh

I babysit a little girl that is the same way.. I do everything I can to take care of her and her sister.. their mother is dressed to the t... it irks me to no end..

__________________
Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I used to bring extra lunch money to help buy lunch for a boy in my high school. His family had money so they didn't qualify for the free lunch but they wouldn't give him any to buy lunch and wouldn't buy food for him (or his sister) to make lunch either No haircuts...bad clothes....he was my friend and I would have rather eaten a big breakfast and used my lunch money for him

__________________
Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Gosh, that makes me feel so bad!!!! I hate it when kids are hurt like that. I will definitely send up a prayer for that child and her family.

My sister works for the Boys & Girls Club and see's this kinda of stuff everyday. I don't know how she does it. I would be constantly upset and sad for these children. Needless to say, when they come to her at the end of the school day, she is sure to feed the ones that didn't get lunch and sometimes even breakfast, sure to get the one's that don't have the needed school supplies a backpack and stuff to fill it, and sure to give them that hug and/or words of encouragement. She really is incredible... just like you OP and all the others that take the time to make an impression that stranger can really care about another stranger.

Crystal

__________________
Proud working Mom of one beautiful baby girl!

Let's hope and pray that those kids have the strength of character in order to overcome these odds and become the Oprahs of the world.

I was in CCD class one day ( Catholic school religious ed )...and the nun held up a sweater in front of the class..she asked if anyone had left the sweater last week..and no one claimed it. The nun said, in front of the entire class..that she will then just give it to me, since I could *USE A SWEATER* ( I was one of like 8 kids in my family, money was tight)..she then THREW or shall I say, tossed the sweater thru the air over the tops of other kids into my desk top. I was HUMILIATED and here I am, 45 years old, and I still feel the shame of having it "announced" to the entire class that I needed someone 's hand me down sweater becasue I was "poor".

__________________
Live, Love, Laugh

You made my point.... it "marks" a child in a way....
and you used the word "poor" in your sharing.. see I couldn't write that word in mine...I'm not judging the family situation.. I used "broke" because I've been broke before.. money comes and money goes.
Broke can mean you just don't have enough to do all the things you want to do within any given pay check period. I totally understand that! I raise my hand in that category some times too.

I just didn't think it was the daughter's responsiblity for needing to share that to the teacher. I think it could have come discreetly from the mother.


Now I'm off to the Christmas Parties!-- Whoo hoo!
Blessing to everyone!
X

I think it is even worse the teacher announced it to other people.

I grew up poor. We did all our shopping in thrift stores. I got all my sisters hand me downs. We were on welfair while my mom worked 2 jobs just to try to feed us. Now I am broke. We live paycheck to paycheck but when its all said and done we have never gone without.

__________________
TLJ ~ Where opinions are encouraged, not deleted

You laugh at me because I am different,
I laugh at you because you are all the same.

Your mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open.

When my girls were small and in grade school, I was the grade mom for their classes..I used to go to the school and do projects with the kids while the teachers corrected test papers etc...Even though we live paycheck to paycheck (then and now) I always found a bit extra to bring my own supplies (glue, glitter, etc)..then what happened is the school got TOO dependant on me. The school started an "ethnic lunch" day once a month in which the kids in 4th grade could order take out from a local ethnic restaurant. The first lunch day was selected to be Chinese food. My daughters homeroom teacher called me three days before and asked me if I'd be able to kick in for one of the kids who didn't have money for lunch.I agreed thinking the girl would order something small like the rest of the kids (my own daughter ordered an egg roll and a small container of soup)..the teacher calls me in the morning of the lunch and tells me he needs 22 dollars by lunchtime for the girl and her order (everyone else sent the money in ahead of time)...22 DOLLARS!..she ordered 4 DINNERS! I was pissed as hell and told the teacher he should have checked what she ordered before he turned in the menu's to the place that morning before school. She ended up taking home a big box of food..MINUS the one dinner she gave her mother to eat!!!come to find out-the girls father worked with my husband-had a better job, and made more money, and her mother was a classroom aide at the school! (I had no idea about this till afterwards)
If I had known it was this one kid in particular I would have said..NO WAY. To make it worse, my own kids ended up eating hotdogs for the week because I had to use 22 dollars out of my food budget.
From that day on I stopped being so generous unless it concerned my own kids.