My kids all have really nice friends. In fact, I have only once had to "discontinue" a budding friendship and that was back when Mark befriended a kid in nursery school. Mark asked me one day what 'domit' meant and I had no idea what he was saying. It all came together when, at nursery school, the 'bad' kid said 'damn it' and Mark said "That mom...domit" This same kid came over to play one day and was hiding under our climber. Mike stuck his head under the climber and told **** it was time to come out. You should have seen Mike's eyes pop out of his head when the kid said "son of a %^&^# mother f !%*er" like it was one big word. So long kid...that's enough of you.
Until last week I've been fortunate that there have been no more 'bad kids' to deal with. In fact I have used the nursery school kid as a lesson over and over again
- Me: "If you act like **** you won't be invited back to your friends house"
- "Mother's don't like children who swear so if you swear so and so's mother will not let you play with him"
I'm sure there are more examples because I did use that kids inappropriate behaviours as a learning tool for my kids! For years actually....probably still do.
There is a child that goes to Mark's school who he has never been interested in until last week. I find the child sneaky, rude and just not nice. Mike and I gave him the benefit of the doubt....maybe he's changed, maybe he needs to be around a family that has respect and rules....and we let Mark hang out with him a bit. I should have trusted my gut. The kid just rubs me the wrong way and when Mark is with him he 'forgets' what they did when they were together, 'forgets' what they watched on tv, 'forgets' where 'the bad kid' put the sunglasses that he broke 'accidently when he dropped them' (The kid smashed them).
I kicked him out of my house today. I walked in the door, saw a look of guilt on both their faces and calmly (seriously I was calm!!) told T he needed to go home. Then I told Mark I didn't care if he played with him at school, but I didn't want him to play here again.
Mark said "OK can I call Colin"
I watched Mark play with Colin and his other buddy and never once did I feel worried. I enjoy Mark's friends and the good times he has with them. I was surprised Mark wasn't upset about me kicking T out but maybe he kinda wanted him out too, or like Mike said Mark probably knew it was coming. Whatever, I felt bad about it because I didn't want to embarass Mark but I just couldn't take another minute of it.
As my old co-worker Gracie used to say "Good bye and good riddance to bad rubbish"
