W-W-P-D

What would parents do? That is the question...

Yesterday my dad picked up Leo from school. I was on the phone with my mom when they arrived home so I talked to Leo. I asked him how school was and he told me that it was good. I could hear my dad on speakerphone saying...really? That's not what they told me. So I asked Leo what happened and he told me that he beat a kid up. Wait...what? Record screeches to a halt. And picture me driving on a highway listening to this. Ridiculous. I ask my dad to get back on the phone and he tells me that he didn't get the full scoop but that Leo and 3 other kids ganged up on a kid.

So I immediately called the daycare when I got off the phone with them. I was informed that Leo and 2 other little boys had been standing in line to wash their hands before lunch. She turned around to wash a table off for lunch when she turned back around the 3 of them were on top of another boy hitting and kicking him. And he was in the fetal position crying. Wait...what?! My sweet little angel attacked another child. And you didn't make a bigger deal to the person picking him up? She said that there was no bickering or arguing with each other before the incident and that it was completely unexpected. She separated it quickly and that when she asked what they were doing the boys said they were playing. I'm assuming that the little boy crying did not say they were playing but that's something else. When I asked what discipline method was taken she said that they all still ate lunch but instead of playing afterwards they had to go straight to their beds (cots) and lay down for their nap. She said that there are a lot of boys in the class and that they do get pretty rambunctious but that this situation was extreme. She also said she would like help from parents for disciplining and figuring out what happened. I of course agreed and told her I didn't expect her to be the only once disciplining on a matter this large and thanked her and profusely apologized.

So then I called my hubby and laid the situation out for him. We both decided that the television would be the worst punishment at this point in time for Leo. He doesn't just have 1 favorite toy and he is one of those kids that has a TV in his room (let the judging begin...). He mainly only watches the TV at night when he is going to bed and I think he likes that because when he co-sleeps with us (let the judging continue...) we leave the TV on at night because someone who writes this blog but will remain nameless doesn't like to sleep in the dark. The other reason he uses the TV in his room is for his SmartCycle. So we are not allowing Leo to use any TV in the house for the next 3 days. No movies, no TV, no video games on the TV. Nothing. And boy oh boy has it made an impact on him. When I told him last night that it would be gone for 3 days he told me that would be impossible. So dramatic. And since then I think we have had 3 different sets of tears when being reminded that there will be no TV. And every time I remind him that he is not in trouble for something now but that this is punishment for hurting his friend. It is a very big deal. And I find the situation very unacceptable (the fighting not the punishment.) We also have had him apologize to his friend (separate from when he got in trouble originally) and his teacher and we are going to have him write an apology letter to both his friend and his teacher.

So as a parent did we do the right thing? Or should I say doing the right thing? Should we have been more strict? Were we too strict? Will a 3 year old understand tomorrow that he is not in trouble for something he did now but something he did 2 days ago? I just don't know.