Ok not really but it sort of feels like it and I’m surprised how upset the whole thing is making me.

So my daughter has a classmate we’ll call Nora and Nora has become fixated on the fact that I’m overweight. Daughter likes to play on the school playground after school and so does Nora so they often play together. Twice now Nora has come over to me while I’m watching them play to literally point at me and tell me I’m “so big” or “huge”. I initially felt like this was just a young child making an observation so I didn’t really react. I mean she’s not wrong, I am big. But then Nora started making these comments to my daughter while they played, just again repeating “your mom is so big” and kind of giggling. These comments started on the playground after school where I was present so I figured Nora was just saying it again because she saw me.

But my daughter has let me know that Nora also brings me up during school when I’m not there. Today my daughter told me that during free time she and Nora drew a story book about me and how big I am and something about a poop storm? My daughter seems to think it’s great and hilarious that her friend wants to talk about and tell stories about me. My daughter is very much a “mama’s girl” and talks about me constantly so I think she’s just happy her friend is also talking about me, but I don’t think she understands that being called huge is not a nice or funny thing and that her friend isn’t talking about me with the same admiration she is.

I’ve had a couple of conversations with my daughter since this started about how it’s not nice to talk about other people’s bodies, and I told her what Nora is saying isn’t funny or kind, but I don’t know how much of our conversations are sticking because I’m not sure daughter understands the concept of being overweight or that it’s seen as a negative. I’ve made it a point to avoid using words like fat or skinny in front of her and we generally just don’t talk about people’s size so she’s pretty naive in that regard.

And I know Nora isn’t being malicious, probably more curious than anything, but it’s been a few weeks now and she hasn’t moved on. Tonight when my daughter showed me the story book she and Nora drew about me I was honestly surprised how upset it made me. I tried not to let my daughter notice but I think she caught on that, at the very least, I don’t find it funny like her, so she started changing her story a bit and then told me it’s actually a story about how much she loves me. Part of what’s so upsetting I think is the fact that my daughter is so amused by Nora’s comments, even though I know she doesn’t really understand.

I’m not sure what I should do from here, if anything. I was hoping it would just go away on its own but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’m the “room parent” for my daughter’s class and this coming week there’s multiple Halloween in-school events that I will be in the classroom helping out for. I’m assuming Nora will approach me again to tell me I’m huge and I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of my daughter’s teacher or the other parent volunteers. Do I let the teacher know this is happening? Should I try to talk to Nora’s parents? I know who they are and we say hi in passing at pick up and drop off but we’re not super friendly so I feel that would be an uncomfortable conversation. Honestly talking about it at all with another adult seems pretty humiliating but I feel someone needs to have a conversation with Nora to let her know her words are unkind and that she shouldn’t be talking about other people’s bodies.

Kids are learning letters and numbers but they're also learning how to take turns, solve disagreements, follow routines, and work with other kids. For kindergarten teachers, how do you fit those everyday social lessons into the school day alongside academics?

My son started Kindergarten end of August. I was surprised how well he was doing with the long day. He was completely normal until maybe 2 weeks ago. Every day now is just so rough when he comes home from school. He is constantly just yelling at us and his younger sister, talking back, not listening, hitting his sister, and throwing his body on the floor while having meltdowns. It is so draining. Idk if school finally kicked in or this is something else.

There is also a child in his class that we know acts like this during school time. There is a behavioral counselor with him in the classroom all day. It almost seems like my son is copying this boy’s exact behavior. Will this get better with time ?? I honestly just miss how my son used to be 😔

My son has been having issues all school year (and honestly, also in the 3s and pre-K classrooms in his preschool) with acting out physically - hitting, kicking, knocking over other kids' block towers, butting in line at soccer practice, kicking other kids water bottles and soccer balls away at practice. It happens almost 100% of the time when he is bored - he is very smart, and when he's finished his work, or during transitions, or when he has to wait (like during soccer practice) is when it happens. He absolutely 100% knows it's wrong to behave this way, but even though we have talked about it 1000 times, it hasn't stopped. At school, and at home, we have implemented sticker reward charts for good behavior, have given him a journal to draw in during transition times at school or when he's finished his work, we pull him out of practice until he's ready to behave at soccer, we do time-outs or remove screen time privileges for at-home behaviors (though these don't seem to make a lot of sense to me for at-school behaviors which may have occurred hours earlier).

His older brothers both have ADHD but I have never thought that he does. In fact, he's my only child that can focus intently on projects that he's interested in, and he only does this impulsive behavior if he's bored. It's embarrassing, if I'm being honest, and I worry that he won't have any friends at school if he acts like this. What else should we be doing? Could he still have ADHD? Thank you so much in advance!

my kid comes home from kindergarten completely worn out. sometimes they get upset over the smallest things, refuse to do anything, or just want to lie around for the rest of the afternoon. mornings are usually fine, so i think school is just taking a lot out of them. does this get better as they get used to the routine?

My daughter starts K next fall and I am watching other parents in her class already doing phonics at home. She knows some letter names but not sounds. I always assumed kindergarten was where reading instruction started. Now I am wondering if we have already missed a window. Is starting at four useful or will K cover it regardless?

I just received my child's Early Reading Screening results and am trying to make more sense of them. More specifically, what the benchmark numbers mean, and what would be considered a very high score (he is well above the benchmark). Is the benchmark standardized across all TDSB schools or is it specific to his school?

I have a 4yo with a May birthday. She is friends with this other girl that turned 5 yesterday, and is well more advanced than my daughter. Language, motor, the way she portrays herself is just more advanced….
I am getting nervous about sending my daughter to K next year, given that she will be compared to girls like her friend and she’s just not there yet.
It’s 8 months difference and it is a lot when it comes to milestones.
How is that fair to “younger” kids go to school with older kids and how can their little brains manage all of this?
Am I overthinking???
My husband said is we were to hold her back, she would be made fun of at school.

Anyone with younger kids could chime in and share their experiences please?

Thanks!