school tragedy?

A while ago I heard a story (I have no idea where) about a little boy who started kindergarten and came home everyday to tell his mother about this bad little boy in his class and all the things that bad little boy did. Then during a parent-teacher conference the mother found out that the bad little boy her son told her about was actually her son.

So keeping this in mind, I've been interested in the stories Emma tells me about her school day. When she tells me a "bad" thing a kid in her class does, I always ask her, "was it you?" True story--I really do. She always smiles and says that it wasn't her but it was whatever kid she's telling me about.

The other day she was telling about a boy in her class who bit another boy. She said, "Johnny (or whatever his name was) bit this boy on the hand and that boy had to go to the emergency room." It took me about 2 seconds, and I asked, "Do you mean the nurse?" She corrected herself and said, "Ya, the boy had to go to the nurse."

Boy, what a difference that made. A bite that requires an emergency room visit is much different than one requiring the school nurse. And for the record, I did ask if she was the one that bit the boy and she said, "no."

I believe her.

And I think I'll stop asking her if she's the one misbehaving. I don't want her to think I don't trust her. Because I do. But she's four and I just have to make sure.