Andrew has been playing all summer with the girl who lives next door. She is a year older than him. She has an older brother (let's say 19 or 20) who appears to do nothing all day and dropped out of high school. Mom works in the medical field and is a screamer and a thrower of objects. We share our living room walls and I can hear everything.
I like the girl. She and Andrew play well together; he's happy when she is here. He's been bugging me for a sibling, which is not going to happen, so as many play dates he can have, the better. However, I'm wondering if her mom isn't dumping her here at my house. As I write this, she is plunking away at my piano. This is her second visit to my house today. The first happened around 4:30, just before dinner. She was still here as I pulled dinner out of the oven at 5:45. I could have invited her to dinner. Instead, I said that I was sure that her mom wanted her home for dinner. The girl, H., said that she had already eaten dinner. Hmmm. I sent her home. Then, I second guessed myself.
I teach kids whose homes are in the type of chaos as H.'s. I know they need all the caring adults they can get. I know that she's a bit lonely as she and Andrew are the only kids their age on the block. Still, I don't want to train her mother into thinking that I am going to feed her kid. Kindness, yes. Doormat, no.
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