Gary had worked himself into a furious frenzy by the time I got home tonight because Colter said his teacher pulled him out of P.E. to inform him he was the only one in his class who hadn't donated to the Salvation Army food drive. He also said that every kid who donated got to put their name in the star jar (which earns them a chance in the goodie jar), and he didn't. I gently suggested we call the teacher about our confusion, instead of shooting off an angry e-mail.
Gary was primed for the call after meeting this afternoon with the principal about the fact that the school left Hanukkah off the calendar and is encouraging kids to donate to an evangelical organization.
He was quickly deflated.
It turns out, there are many kids who have not brought in food and many kids who did not put their names in the star jar today. Many kids, but not Colter, who put his name in the star jar today for reading an advanced book. Oh, and the whole being-pulled-out-of-P.E. thing? Completely fabricated.
When I asked Colter about it, he said, "Well, I didn't make the WHOLE thing up." So, which part was true? The part about going to school today. He really did do that.
The most frightening thing is that Colter actually believed things happened as he described them. As his teacher said on the phone, at this age, they believe that wishing can make something so.
So, if I wish hard enough, can I forget this entire experience?
Oh wow! That sounds sooooooo familiar. The older Ty's gptten, the more DETAILED his fantasies have become. Curses on the imagination! Well, not really.
Posted by: Kelly | December 09, 2003 at 09:18 AM