I'm horrified....

[Angelinastork]

I got a phone call from my DD's (6 yo) school to tell me that DD has said on a 1 to 1 reading with her teacher that her mummy strangles her when we do reading at home! So the teacher gave me a call to have a chat as she said in all the years she's been teaching she's never heard that.

I'm horrified! I know DD has a funny way of expressing things and the teachers know that, but it triggered a concern at the school enough to give me a call and I'm not sure what do I expect next.

Basically what it is, I told the teacher already, when DD was a little smaller she used to sit on my lap whilst doing the reading and I would reach with my left arm over her shoulder to hold the book and she used to say: 'mummy, you are strangling me!'. But she's grown so much she's too big to sit on my lap so we haven't even done that lately.

Has anyone had any similar experience?

She's only 6, maybe she was uncomfortable when you reached round her neck but uts stopped now. You are lucky the school took it seriously enough to call you. Go and speak with the 1.1 when you pick her up from school, they will have a chat with you both. Don't be horrified or angry.

Oh no! I'm not angry, just horrified that she said that. The teacher did say she didn't show any signs of distress or anything.

She was uncomfortable when I used to do that but I'd withdraw my arm straight away so she was never under any pain on anything.

But you don't have to do anything, surely?

You will have laughed and explained that this is what DD used to say when she sat on your lap for reading and you reached over to hold the book.

Or are you saying that school are raising a concern about you physically abusing your child?

I'm not sure what the school are doing about it. I'm just a little shocked at the moment.

I have explained to the teacher why I think she said that and we had a laugh.

If school were at all concerned, they would not have called you, they would have taken action straight away. In a suspected abuse situation, calling home could compromise the safety of the child, so I would take their call as a sign that they are not concerned but they obviously have to let you know.

Thank you. That's what the teacher said, she wanted to let me know and I explained what it was.

I asked DD after school about this and she said, 'you know, because I'm getting bigger now, when I sit on your lap and you hold me and the book at the same time, you hold me too tight, that's strangling 😆'

When I was about 7 my mom started working night shifts in an old folks home a stones throw from a notorious red light street called Cheddar Road.

I told several teachers that my mom had started working nights in Cheddar Road. Many phonecards were made. Several meetings were held.

🙃

There was a thread earlier in the week with posters telling stories of when they or their children had told teachers / nurses incorrect things like that.

Like the time I told my teacher I had two black eyes because my dad hit me. He did hit me.......with a frisbee that I failed to catch and hit me right between the eyes whilst playing at the park, but I left that bit out when I retold it to my Infant's teacher, who then questioned my mother.

😅

Surely the teacher could have asked your daughter to demonstrate what she meant?!?

I'm sure she did. Well I hope she did 😀

😂 I bet that gave the teacher a good giggle when she got off the phone.

I wouldn't worry my daughter accused me of punching her this morning.
Obviously I didn't
But yes it always crosses my mind about people overhearing and believing this stuff

My brother told his teacher that we always used to go to Grandma's house for Christmas dinner as 'my mum has no food in the house'.

This was the early 70's though so they just laughed!

They have to check but I wouldn't worry. I am guessing that they knew it was nonsense but their safeguarding training means they must check. I'd imagine that if they genuinely believed you were strangling her, they wouldn't approach you directly.

Are you able to post the thread here? I'm just starting to recover from it 😀

Yes, I did think if they were really concerned they wouldn't have called me. But I was still in shock.

Oh, the joys of DC!

I was called into a meeting at DCs nursery when they were 3. They'd helpfully told staff that 'mummy meets men for money'.

I'd had to explain I had my own IT company and had to meet a lot of clients, usually men, to work out projects. I thought it was hilarious!

Also reminds me of the post years ago where a child had to draw a picture of what their parents did for work. They drew what looked like a stick lady pole dancing with stick men throwing money at her. Apparently, DM worked in a hardware shop and they'd had a run on snow shovels due to the weather. The drawing was DM holding a shovel, not standing on a podium!

😅😅

Gosh, I just remembered another thing. When DD went for her taster day at her current school last year, she told me when she came back that the girls (her current classmates) liked her so much they were strangling her (meaning they were hugging her very very tight). We were never concerned about her use of the word but I think we need to work on it now. I should mention it to the teacher at the parents evening 🤔.

My little nephew almost got me arrested as a kidnapper when he was about three - we'd explain a bit about stranger danger and to shout help if someone tried to take him away from his grown ups.

My sister had had to nip into the pharmacy and I stayed outside with said nephew because the place was already packed.

Who promptly started shouting help and I want my mummy and no! In very loud, crying tones.

Two passing police officers came over to see what was going on - very glad I had lots of photos on my phone to back up my story because they were very concerned! They also waited to speak to my sister to double check but for a second there I thought I was going to jail 🤣

😅 oh no, I'd be horrified!

Ha! My DD reception teacher called me to say my DD had acccused me of screaming at her and scratching her on purpose when taking her to school. We had arrived very flustered and very late so I kind of see why she had to check.

I explained that she was refusing to leave the house that morning so yes my voice was raised and in taking off her cardigan which was that day, apparently too tight (fit fine the next day), I had accidentally scratched her arm slightly. The teacher laughed and said she thought that might have been the case and DD confessed later on that maybe she had been exaggerating a tad. We laughed but at the time I was mortified!

My DD aged 5 said she didn't have a snack as there was no one there in the morning to give her one and she couldn't reach them herself.
Instead of saying she didn't want to bring a snack.
We were also called in to school and asked if the children had adult supervision in the mornings. Mortified.

I was!

The same nephew also told his class teacher that he'd been sick in the night, his mam had made him strip his own bed and stand in the bath scrubbing the bedding and he'd had to sleep with no clean sheets!

Not true - he hadn't been sick at all, and while he had been scrubbed in the bath, it was because he'd drawn all over himself in ikea felt tip (and it doesn't come off!). He also has sheets on his bed but he wiggles so much in his sleep that they come off!