My 11-year-old son has a classmate who often acts out in ways that make her unpopular among her peers. I have heard from another parent/friend that this child has a cell phone with unfettered access to the internet.
She showed some very inappropriate and concerning things to other kids at a sleepover. The girl lives with a grandparent who seems way over her head . I don’t know this girl or her caregiver, but it turns out I work closely with a relative of hers. He was sharing about some tragedies in his family, and I realized the girl he was talking about was my son’s classmate. I now know why this poor child behaves the way she does , but I’m wondering if I should say anything about it to my colleague.
It’s hard to be certain which way is best without knowing the details, but as I read your letter, I’m picturing some rather traumatic circumstances. If it were me, and I truly had a good relationship with my colleague , I would probably approach him. I don’t think I would be comfortable ignoring a vulnerable kid in my life just for propriety’s sake. I’d broach the subject vaguely, like, “I’ve figured out that Trixie is indeed in my son’s class.
One caveat to this whole response: I recommend observing radio host Bernard Meltzer’s advice model before you speak up: Is what you have to say? If you answer any of those questions with “no” or “I am not sure,” that tells you it’s best to keep things to yourself.My daughter is 6 months old. Six weeks from now I’m scheduled to go away for three days to attend an important yearly conference on the other side of the country. Until recently, this seemed very doable. But not anymore.