Sophie Gets In Trouble

Sophie is definitely not like other little girls. She did not cry for me in school (except the day she fell) and she was very comfortable with the school environment since day one. Anyone mummy in the right frame of mind would feel tremendous pride and joy to have such an independent and well adapted little girl. However, I was never so optimistic, in fact I was waiting for the storm after the calm. And yes, the storm has arrived.

Today, her principal called me a couple of times on the phone because she had been "misbehaving" in school and she wanted to know if I would like them to carry through the punishment. Apparently, she spilled the beans during her Montessori session and refused to pick them up regardless of her teachers' reprimand, coaxing and even threats. She would rather skip her recess and her snack than to pick the beans up. Even when the teachers offerred to help and ended up picking them up for her, she taunted them by spilling the beans again and again. When they tried to talk to her, she changed the subject by directing them to her hair clip. She only complied when they told her she could not go home until she picked everything up (with my blessing, of course). Still, they cheated by helping her scoop up almost everything while she was not looking.

And on the very same day, she teased me hours earlier in the car with her pranks. She started by putting her finger in her mouth. That made me frown and I told her not to do it again. Grinning, she did it again, making a noisy sucking sound to draw my attention. When I turned around to glare at her, I found her little finger outside her mouth, at her lips. She did not put her finger in at all! She was pretending!!! I was so mad. When I recounted the incident to her principal, she realised how smart Sophie is and we definitely have a handful to deal with. We both agree that she has a tendency to tease and she is very strong-willed' (I say 'stubborn' but she prefers a more positive word).