DRAMA IN THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

So the first week at school went off smoothly until Friday...

Let me give a bit of background before I continue.

A lot of the people I work with live in and around the same area I do and so our kids go to the same school (pre-school and primary). And so some of them go to the same aftercare. Sean and Donovan go to the school's aftercare as does the son of a man who works with me. He also started grade one this year with Donovan and they did grade R together.

Now on Friday afternoon just as I am about to leave my office my phone rings and this man tells me that Donovan accidentally hit his son with something on the head and he has been taken for stitches. I got such a shock!! I could only imagine how poor little Donovan was feeling after the incident. Terrified, sorry, bad - all these things. I couldn't get there fast enough to sort things out.

As soon as I got there he came to me and I could just see the worry and fear etched into his little face. He started crying when someone Else's little brat shouted something at me about what happened before I could even get to him. I told her I already knew and she shut up very quickly.

I listened to his story and the aftercare teacher told me that she had no reason not to believe that it was an accident. Here is what happened:

Donovan picked up a girls school sock which had been lying in the gutter for a few days - I had seen it there too on the first day. Unbeknown to Donny, there was a stone - not a very big stone, but a stone inside the sock. (I held the sock with the stone in and you really could not feel there was a stone inside it). He was swinging it around and he accidentally hit this other little boy on his head. (on the top) And being a head wound it bled terribly. (Donovan told me later that he didn't know whether the blood was coming from his hand or his head cause there was so much.)

I asked the aftercare teacher for the other little boy's mommy's phone number and sent her a message as soon as I got home to tell her how sorry I was her little boy got hurt and that Donovan felt just awful. (Every time he thought about it and told me how bad he felt and that he hoped his friend was OK he would cry). It really worried him. I took him aside and told him that accidents happen everyday to all sorts of people, it was just unfortunate that that day was their turn. I told him that he should stop worrying about it and that I was sure his friend would be fine - after all the stone was inside a sock and it was a very thick sock - so it was well padded. I told him I loved him and everything would be fine.

I am sure though that if his friend could see into his little heart how deeply sorry he was he would see that the pain there for what he did was worse that the bump on his head.

The little boy's mommy phoned me and said he was fine - had no stitches just a bump. The blow did however cause his ear to bleed and he should go back on Tuesday (which is today) for a follow up appointment. I know he will be fine and they will find nothing there anymore. I am trusting the Lord that his ear will not be damaged. His dad says he is fine so far and he doesn't think there will be any problems either.

The two boys are friends again too and the aftercare lady says she is very pleased with the way the whole situation was handled by both families. I am too, I am now just waiting to hear what came of the little boys second appointment. He is there while I type this post. I will update it to let you know what happened.

On a lighter note, yesterday was the grade 1 -3 athletics try outs. It was fun. Donovan came first...... from the back!! LOL!! But he enjoyed it immensely - he started off watching his feet and then looking all around him and then to the finish line - but smiling and laughing all the way (only 50 meters). He says he was not built for running, he was built for rugby. "Ek's nie gebou vir hardloop nie, ek's gebou vir rugby." So he was not even a little bit concerned that he came last - he just had fun!


update: Donovan's friend is fine!! His doctor says he is fine!! So relieved.