An Apology Brings Unexpected Blessings

Two weeks ago, I found a letter stapled to Lydia’s school bag. It said,

Dear Mrs. Sturgill,

Lydia was following along in line and kicked a classmate. She continued to kick the girl on the back of the leg until she fell down on the ground…We would greatly appreciate you speaking to Lydia about this incident.

Thank you.

My heart sank. My eyes filled with tears and I felt sick to my stomach.

I so want my children to be kind and loving to other people. I felt like the worst mom. I was also worried about what her teachers thought of her. I don’t want them to dislike her because she is a behavioral problem.

I received this note on a Thursday and Lydia only has class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. So, I had to wait to talk to the teacher. In the meantime, I talked to Lydia and I prayed for wisdom and that God will help Lydia be kinder at school.

The next Tuesday, I made sure we were at school early. We had to wait outside her classroom until her teachers were ready for the kids to enter. As the other little girls came in, I asked the ones I didn’t know their names. When one girl said, “Rita,” I said to Lydia, “What do you have to say to Rita?” Lydia said, “I am sorry.” “Sorry for what?” I asked. “I am sorry for kicking you,” Lydia said.

Rita’s mom said, “Oh, we didn’t know anything about it.” I just let it go at that. I spoke briefly with one of the teachers who was very positive about the whole incident and felt that the consequence was a good deterrent for the future. They made Lydia sit in time out during story time. I think that was a great consequence.

When I picked Lydia up at the end of the class, the other mom said to me, “You made my day this morning.” I thought she meant just the fact that Lydia would apologize in general. The other mom actually said, “I was so relieved to hear that someone else got into trouble. Rita is always in trouble and we were feeling like she was the only one. I realize now that she isn’t the only one.” The other mother was beaming.

I felt my eyes start to fill up with tears. I was so relieved that Lydia wasn’t the only one getting into trouble! I wasn't the only mom feeling this way. At that moment, Rita came out of the classroom and said to her mom, “No time out today!” That was such a blessing for me. Now I will pray for Lydia and her friend Rita! (And the rest of the class and the teachers but especially for Rita.)