Dear Parent, You should worry because...

Mommy Prof's recent post reminded me of bad report card comments I've gotten.

In kindergarten, my report card said "does not play well with others." To most people, this would suggest problems with sharing or hitting other children. I know as a preschool teacher when I wrote something similar on a developmental assessment, it meant "your child beats up on others" or "your child steals toys and hides them from the others." What my "does not play well with others" meant was that I was shy and let other kids push me around. I remember letting this one kid, Shane I think, take my truck. I just let him do it, even though I got to pick the first toy since I was the quietest. I guess I had a really good sister who shared well and didn't steal from me; therefore, I did not know how to stand up for myself. It's no surprise that I've grown up to be passive, but I don't let people take my toys now.

In the sixth grade, my report card said, "wears clothes that are too mature." Well, I had large breasts; all clothes looked womanly on me. I have to admit, it was nice to be noticed, but I didn't think I was a tease. I wore tank tops, like a lot of girls, was but was too self conscious to wear them alone. I usually wore a shirt or sweater over them (shirt hanging off shoulder, cardigan). Maybe it was because it was the early nineties in a small country town - everybody looked a little trashy. I remember Dolly Parton saying that she wanted to grow up to look like the town whore because she was the prettiest woman in the town. Well, my teacher shirts now don't have buttons at the neck because NY&Co. doesn't believe in buttons. But I love the long sleeves and the cut of the waist, so I deal with it. I think I'm pretty modest, and I didn't really kiss a boy till Husband.