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School-Aged Children
nire99
member
Would you say something to the teacher?
nire99
member
DD is in 2nd grade. She came home from school the other day and was talking about how certain kids in her class have to go to the school nurse everyday to take their medication.
Her exact words were: "So-and-so has to take medicine because he gets really crazy. He has something wrong with him that makes him have bad behavior and the medicine makes him behave." I assumed she was talking about ADHD or something along those lines.
I asked her how she knew this and she said she'd heard it from some of the other kids in class. I talked to her about how certain information should be kept private and it's not polite to talk about people that way. She didn't seem to get it though.
Should I mention to her teacher, or just leave it alone?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Would you say something to the teacher?
I might mention it if you're already going to be talking to the teacher but I don't think this is a big deal. My 2nd grade DD is well aware of the kids in her class that take meds at lunch. Just like her classmates are aware of her medical condition.
I would have a talk with my 2nd grader about how this type of talk is called "gossip" and that it's a type of speech that is hurtful to others. I would explain that kids take medicine for all different reasons, and that it's the private business of each person and not something we should worry about. Then I would brainstorm with my child some ways that she could respond to others who try to spread gossip so that she can avoid participating in these gossipy conversations without seeming self-righteous.
You can say something to the teacher, but there isn't a whole lot she can do.
I'm a teacher and the kids just talk. I've had kids on meds in the past and they are very open about it. I can't very well tell them to not say anything, because they shouldn't be ashamed of it.
This. I think you've done what you can with your own child- made it known you don't feel like gossip like that is appropriate. She probably "got it" far more than you realize.
ITA
Please mention it to the teacher and I would also talk to the guidence counselor about it. As a parent with a child going through behavioral issues just delaing with that alone is hard on the child but having classmates think there is something wrong with you makes them feel very alone and sad and lost.
Unless teachers and the staff know nothing can be done.
I'd talk about it at home with her... You never know it could be meds for type 1 diabetes, siezure disorder, or a number of other conditions that need meds on a specific schedule, not just ADD/ADHD meds.
I think it's a kid being a kid thing more than anything else and at this age they're just talking about what happened that day instead of really grasping the deeper meaning of things.. The other thing is, odd as it sounds, I've had friends that totally kept their medical conditions a secret even from their close friends only to end up having a complication and no one checking on them for days which made the situation worse. Sometimes it's good to have your friends, in this case school friends, know that if they don't take their meds at a certain time they can have complications (say they're out and about on a non-school day and the kid forgets to take them and has a situation where other parents around wouldn't know). It's a fine line that I'd just have the "at home" talk...
I would want to know if I was the classroom teacher. Sometimes just addressing a situation and explaining it to the children can help them understand how their behavior can hurt someone's feelings. It doesn't sound like the kids were talking maliciously or anything but it still can make life uncomfortable for the child taking the meds.
Generally though, the children themselves are the ones that share this information with their classmates. The children aren't uncomfortable asking a peer why they do something (take meds, don't say the Pledge, leave the classroom during reading time) and generally the children's parents have provided their child with an appropriate response. Most of the other students usually just shrug and move on.