“Sally, I hate that my mom makes me go to school even though she knows how much I hate it!” says Sam. “Well at least while your at school you get school lunch and your mom pays for it for you” Sally replies, thinking about her own difficult situation. “School lunch is gross, Sally. Besides the teacher is aware that none of the other kids are nice to me and she often joins in and doesn’t let me participate with the rest of the class.” Sam says offering reasons for his complaints. “Yeah, well I wouldn’t mind that. My mom has been making me clean everyday after school and watch the baby while she works, she says I have to or she won’t give me lunch money and her temper is out of control. Hey, doesn’t the teacher have to let you participate? Too bad we’re not in the same class I guess. I would stick up for you.” “Well, I don’t know about that.” Sam says “...but today she made me sit in the corner with my chair facing the wall for the entire morning activity. I didn’t even do anything! I mean, nothing. Bobby that big bully tripped me, I knocked over another kid. I got in trouble! Mrs. Jones wouldn’t even hear my side of the story and said I had an attitude problem. My mom is gunna be so mad, she told me not to cause any more trouble” “I’m sorry Sam, keep your chin up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sam and Sally both went home that night pondering the conversation they had earlier. Sam got off the bus and walked up his driveway where his mother greeted him “Hi Honey! How was school?” Sam of course has been trying desperately to explain to his mother of the difficult time he has been having with the other kids and with the teacher. “Not any better than every other day, mom” Sam’s mother frowns “Oh honey, it can’t be that bad! I spoke to your teacher...she told me what happened today, you know?” Sam’s shoulders slump “Right..What did she tell you happened, exactly?” his mother looked at him hoping to seem understanding “She told me that you started a confrontation with another boy, one who is a lot bigger than you and that you ended up pushing over a girl in your class when you didn’t get your way. Honey, you have to stop acting out like this! I don’t know what to do with you anymo...!” Sam interjects “Mom! That’s not what happened! She didn’t even hear my side of the story!” Sam begins to shout. “Sam, go to your room and we will talk about this another time, perhaps when you calm down”
Meanwhile Sally gets off the bus and walks the stairs to the tiny one bedroom apartment her, her baby sister and her mother all live in. The door is locked, and no lights are on. Sally goes inside and realizing her mother must be at work. She flips on a light and finds a note on the table it reads “Sally, hi baby. Work called and asked me to come in early today Cici is sleeping... the bus was later than usual but I knew you’d be home soon. Please do all the dishes and the laundry (remember to sort the colors) Don’t wait up, I’m working another double” Sally was slightly relieved her mother wasn’t home, she didn’t want to deal with the terrible moods she’d been in as of late. Sally went straight into the bedroom where her sister was sitting up in her crib chattering to herself. She lifts Cici out of the crib and prepares to change her diaper. She wonders what it must be like for Sam having a mother who is around all the time but never seems to listen to him. At least she’s around Sally thought. Then again, Sally’s mother listens to her when she has time but that doesn’t seem to be very often. Sally ponders why Sam is so disliked in his class. She thinks it’s wrong the teacher doesn’t include him or stand up for him when the other kids are mean. She wonders if there is a rule or something that could make his situation better. She wonders if she could help her mother find a job that pays enough to make ends meet and be around for her and her sister. Sally think and thinks until she drifts off into a deep sleep.
The next day at school Sam and Sally got off the bus and walked into the school. Sally waited in the cafeteria by the bulletin board while Sam went through the lunch line to get his breakfast. Sally was looking at all the brochures on the board. One brochure caught her eye. The title read “Child Rights, do you know yours?” On the cover there was a picture of a kid who looked lost and scared. Sally seemed drawn to it. She picked it up as Sam walked over to a table motioning her. Sally took a seat on the bench across from Sam at the table. “What’s that?” Sam asked. Sally didn’t realize she still had the brochure in her hand. “Oh, umm. Something about child rights.” She opened the brochure. “Wow, I have never thought about having rights. I always just do exactly what my mother asks of me.” Her eyes gazed over the other kids in the cafeteria. “Hey, what’s it say in there?” Sam asks, seeing Sally’s mood start to shift. “Something about being protected from harm and child abuse.” Sam twinged. No. Nope. Nope, nope. my mother would never abuse me. She just gets really mad sometimes. She doesn’t mean to hit me, she only does it when she’s upset. Sometimes if I’m bad. But she doesn’t abuse me. “Sam, you okay? Where’d you go just now?” Sam didn’t want to tell Sally and he has told her everything she he was 5. “I gotta go Sally.”
Sam thought about the brochure and why it was in the cafeteria in the first place. Whoever wrote that really must want kids to be safe. They must want kids to read it and think about their rights and if they are being treated poorly. Sam did. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. When he went home he was skeptical of his mother. He looked at her, trying to figure her out. Figure out if she was capable of abusing him. Later that night after his mother went to sleep Sam snuck into the computer room and looked into what child abuse really was. He really didn’t want to believe his mother was abusing him. He was mad at Sally for picking up the brochure and mad at the woman who wrote it. He was mad at his mother. Deep down Sam knew his mother wasn’t supposed to hit him, but was it abuse?
Sam and Sally both went home that night pondering the conversation they had earlier. Sam got off the bus and walked up his driveway where his mother greeted him “Hi Honey! How was school?” Sam of course has been trying desperately to explain to his mother of the difficult time he has been having with the other kids and with the teacher. “Not any better than every other day, mom” Sam’s mother frowns “Oh honey, it can’t be that bad! I spoke to your teacher...she told me what happened today, you know?” Sam’s shoulders slump “Right..What did she tell you happened, exactly?” his mother looked at him hoping to seem understanding “She told me that you started a confrontation with another boy, one who is a lot bigger than you and that you ended up pushing over a girl in your class when you didn’t get your way. Honey, you have to stop acting out like this! I don’t know what to do with you anymo...!” Sam interjects “Mom! That’s not what happened! She didn’t even hear my side of the story!” Sam begins to shout. “Sam, go to your room and we will talk about this another time, perhaps when you calm down”
Meanwhile Sally gets off the bus and walks the stairs to the tiny one bedroom apartment her, her baby sister and her mother all live in. The door is locked, and no lights are on. Sally goes inside and realizing her mother must be at work. She flips on a light and finds a note on the table it reads “Sally, hi baby. Work called and asked me to come in early today Cici is sleeping... the bus was later than usual but I knew you’d be home soon. Please do all the dishes and the laundry (remember to sort the colors) Don’t wait up, I’m working another double” Sally was slightly relieved her mother wasn’t home, she didn’t want to deal with the terrible moods she’d been in as of late. Sally went straight into the bedroom where her sister was sitting up in her crib chattering to herself. She lifts Cici out of the crib and prepares to change her diaper. She wonders what it must be like for Sam having a mother who is around all the time but never seems to listen to him. At least she’s around Sally thought. Then again, Sally’s mother listens to her when she has time but that doesn’t seem to be very often. Sally ponders why Sam is so disliked in his class. She thinks it’s wrong the teacher doesn’t include him or stand up for him when the other kids are mean. She wonders if there is a rule or something that could make his situation better. She wonders if she could help her mother find a job that pays enough to make ends meet and be around for her and her sister. Sally think and thinks until she drifts off into a deep sleep.
The next day at school Sam and Sally got off the bus and walked into the school. Sally waited in the cafeteria by the bulletin board while Sam went through the lunch line to get his breakfast. Sally was looking at all the brochures on the board. One brochure caught her eye. The title read “Child Rights, do you know yours?” On the cover there was a picture of a kid who looked lost and scared. Sally seemed drawn to it. She picked it up as Sam walked over to a table motioning her. Sally took a seat on the bench across from Sam at the table. “What’s that?” Sam asked. Sally didn’t realize she still had the brochure in her hand. “Oh, umm. Something about child rights.” She opened the brochure. “Wow, I have never thought about having rights. I always just do exactly what my mother asks of me.” Her eyes gazed over the other kids in the cafeteria. “Hey, what’s it say in there?” Sam asks, seeing Sally’s mood start to shift. “Something about being protected from harm and child abuse.” Sam twinged. No. Nope. Nope, nope. my mother would never abuse me. She just gets really mad sometimes. She doesn’t mean to hit me, she only does it when she’s upset. Sometimes if I’m bad. But she doesn’t abuse me. “Sam, you okay? Where’d you go just now?” Sam didn’t want to tell Sally and he has told her everything she he was 5. “I gotta go Sally.”
Sam thought about the brochure and why it was in the cafeteria in the first place. Whoever wrote that really must want kids to be safe. They must want kids to read it and think about their rights and if they are being treated poorly. Sam did. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. When he went home he was skeptical of his mother. He looked at her, trying to figure her out. Figure out if she was capable of abusing him. Later that night after his mother went to sleep Sam snuck into the computer room and looked into what child abuse really was. He really didn’t want to believe his mother was abusing him. He was mad at Sally for picking up the brochure and mad at the woman who wrote it. He was mad at his mother. Deep down Sam knew his mother wasn’t supposed to hit him, but was it abuse?