I had another fabulous conversation with Ella. She has really laments having a boy named Charlie sit next to her in Kindergarten. I haven't decided whether Ella is sitting by a bully in the making, or whether she likes the attention, but every day when she comes home, she usually mentions what Charlie did that day in negative terms: he called me "hairy chest", he made fun of my snack (apple), he budged in front of me, but most of all I heard- he stepped on my foot and hurt my blister. I have no idea whether he did this several times a week, or whether it was so traumatic that Ella brought it up often.
Nevertheless, we were driving somewhere when a raucous laughter from the backseat prompted me to ask Ella what was so funny. Giggling, she told me, "I stepped hard on chawwie's foot today in the hallway, and it huwt so bad he's afwaid of me now". "Did he tell the teacher"? Madeline asked. "No, he would have gone to the back of the line if he talked in the hallway, that's a vewy important wule- no talking in the hallway" (giggle, giggle, giggle)"Now, he's vewy afwaid of me" (giggle, giggle, giggle).
Later, I asked Ella to tell Ryan the story, and he asked her if she thought of it earlier at school or if she just thought of it then. "I thought of it at home, and planned it at home before school". She confirmed this was a case of premeditated stepping on a foot at a time when teacher could not intervene. The good thing is that she no longer feels like Chawlie has control over her.
