It is official... most of you have heard...Harper is a biter. She started her new school mid August and in 4 months has bitten 16 times...you can do the math. Yes, we have been given a spreadsheet with her bite incident stats. I know all kids bite. I have heard it over and over and over and over from a lot of people. I know it is a phase... I know, I know, but it doesn't make it easy.
We have said it from the time she was a few months old, she is feisty and she knows what she wants and will do anything to get it. So I wanted to share a little situation that happened back in the fall. I just want to be sure I don't forget it.
One day I was talking to another mom as I was picking Harps up from school. She teaches at a neighboring elementary school and we have a few mutual friends. She asked for my email address and said we needed to get our girls together for a playdate sometime. (How fun!). As we walked out we talked about all the fun things our girls could do, how cute they were walking down the hall together, and all that mushy cute stuff moms talk about. Well when we got to our cars she said "let me ask you something...has Harper been bitten yet?" Oh no...panic set in!!!! Well it just slipped, just like that I lied like a little kid and said "yes." I didn't even think about it and just said it...I totally lied for my child... Well she then goes on to talk about how her daughter had been bitten yesterday. Oops... we got a note for that one! I go on and try to totally downplay the whole thing and tell her "oh this just happens at this age...it is a normal thing." Totally telling her everything that everyone else has told me about biting. As I am saying this I am freaking out and trying to escape towards my car because I realize that I just totally LIED and Harper is biting her kid. She then says "I guess we just have a biter in the class." I of course continue to try to downplay the whole thing. Well then she proceeds to tell me that she has been thinking about talking to the director about it..."Well wouldn't that be a great idea!!!!", I thought. By now I have escaped as much as I can and am putting Harper in her carseat. I tell her "oh..you don't need to do that... just don't worry... it is just a phase...have a nice weekend. Bye!!!!"
Yes...I lied... and we have never gotten an email or an invitation for a playdate. I guess maybe she found out...
Now we celebrate when Harper goes a week with no biting, and her daily prayers with us include "please help me to have self control and not bite my friends."
They promoted her to the older class after Christmas. The director told me that it is more structured, the children are older, and there is a lot more going on during the day. So I guess they moved her because she is either A. gifted and needed a more challenging environment, or B. they got tired of mad parents. (We think "A"!) In talking to her new teacher about Harper's "behavior" she told me that "she won't have time to bite in here." Well, we sure hope so.
So the first week in her new class and I see the wonderful telltale white piece of paper in the cubby. So of course I do what I normally do and make sure no other parent is looking as I sneak it from the cubby to my back pocket. The teacher then informs me that someone bit her!!!!! Hallelujah!!! Apparently it hurt and Harper cried!!! I couldn't help but be excited and I am pretty sure the teacher thinks I am nuts because I was. We had a nice talk on the way home about how biting hurts your friends. Hopefully this biting thing is over... we shall see...
Just look at
