Random Act of....Cruelty

As parents we know the day will come that someone will hurt our child emotionally (and hopefully never physically). It just really sucks when you can't really do anything about it except tell them that you love them and you do understand what they are going thru. I still remember my parents trying to console me, but at that moment you feel as if no one can understand your pain.

Nat's group of friends, from the most part (and from what she tells me) are pretty tight knit. She even got them to take in the new girl I mentioned a few blogs back. Well, obviously this sweet act has now worked against her :(

...here's the story...
I got to get Nat on Friday afterschool. She gets out at 3:20. It's 3:40 and still no Nat. I'm in between mad and panicked. They I see her...wiping her eyes...so I shift to heartache. She tells me that the blue jacket (a very special one that Grandma Racecar bought her - that she's been looking for all week) is still missing. And to top it off, her sandals that she left in her locker at gym time were gone when she came back. So after school she went to the office to ask if anyone turned in some shoes. This wasn't handled very well by the ladies in the he office because they start joking with her and say "I have a shoe (and hold up their foot)" and then the other lady does the same. (.......not happy with them by the way! (Waiting to talk to the principle about this.) Well that was the straw that broke this little, tiny camel's back. When she got into the car and told me all of this, I told the kids to sit tight cause I needed to talk to the principle about this (he was still out in front of the school). I was gonna lead right into what the ladies said, but the second heard me say that one of the items missing was a jacket....he says "a light blue jacket with white stripe down the arm?" I was delighted. That was her jacket...yea! But he comes back with less enthusiaum and says "I need you to meet with Mrs. Watson (asst. Principle)". I was a little confused as to why this issue needed the asst. pulled in, but I didn't care. I wanted the jacket. He takes me to her office and I think I'm gonna grab and go...I have kids in the car ya know. But they both tell me that they need to speak with me...and shut the door. What the..??!! She starts off by asking me if Nat's told me of any bullying towards her of if she's acted like something's wrong. I told her no and that Nat does usually tell me if somethings happening at school. She said "well we are VERY concerned about where we found this jacket..." I feel my chest tighten and I hold my breath. She said it was stuffed in the toilet!!! What the h-ll did my little girl do to deserve this? As we talked, the asst. told me that it could be someone did it maliciously or it was just a random situation and the kid thought "hey, a jacket...lets stuff it in a toilet."

I head back to the car and sugar coat things best I can and I ask her if anything's going on that I should know about. Then I ask her if she has any idea where the jacket was found. She has no clue. So I tell her. Matt got mad (way to go little brother)!!! Nat got confused and sad. She then tells me that her current group of friends are excluding her out of things and that new girl that she was so nice to was one of them. She said they make fun of how she dresses, where she lives, and that she's flat chested. I have some VERY immature response I want to tell her to use...But I didn't. I just told her that now is a good time to be more selective of her friends. Try to find someone who's more consistently nice, not consistently cruel. It's also hard cause another one of the girls is a friend from softball. But even after all that, she still doesn't think that anyone of them was responsible for the cruel incident.

She's such a good kid. Even as "broken" and hurt as she was...and I'm sure feeling very insecure (as we all have at that age)...as we drive past this couple who lost their home and now live in a group of tents, Nat tells me to please stop the car cause she knitted them some tobbogins for when it gets cool!!! AS far as I see it, those kids should be lining up down the road just to get the opportunity to be her friend.


***Update***
Just got a call from the Principle and the shoe have been found and he apologized for the ladies behavior towards Natalie. Looks like a good start for the week ;)