"We know better now. We won't be going to you anymore. It's time to go over your head and straight to the source. This way, our questions are actually answered. This way, we won't be manipulated."
This is the reply I almost typed to a teacher at my daughter's school, but ultimately, I didn't.
The issue is the dress code. More specifically, the issue is how the dress code is (mis)handled by some teachers with some students. Middle-school-aged children are being centred out and shamed for their clothing. While I understand there are rules and that these rules need to be followed, I also understand that these children have fragile body images, are in the throes of puberty and are simply living in the modern world.
It is almost exclusively girls being dress-coded, and of those, the vast majority are girls who have grown and developed at warp speed.
As if these girls aren't already tender enough...
They wear the same clothing as a less-developed friend, and *they* get centred out. Seriously? And, oh, what are we teaching our boys, by the way?
So I reached out to a fellow mother- one who I knew would not judge, who had reasonable expectations of a dress code and who was unafraid to stand up for her kid.
And now we join forces. Mothers in arms. This mom reached out to three other moms, and we plan to discuss how to handle the situation.
Having already made my point to the teacher mentioned above (and receiving a head-shaking reply with zero accountability), I realized this is not about being right. It's about gaining clarity and promoting positive change to the people who can implement it. I have no interest in making people feel wrong. I simply want a more accepting and compassionate environment for my children.
You can stand up with love and be heard. I'm learning this. And, hopefully, modelling it for all my kids.
Bypass the noise. Get the facts. Promote positive change.
Woo!
*Originally written in Spring 2018
The Sweetwood Series Audiobook is OUT!
Available wherever you buy your Audiobooks!
Sweetwood Secret
When her younger brother goes missing, New York City journalist Holly Blake is beckoned back to the small Georgia town of her youth.
After losing both her parents the previous year, she is desperate to find Lucas—the only family she has left.
But searching for her brother means two things Holly had not bargained for: reuniting with her ex-fiancé Max, the local sheriff, and following a trail that leads straight into the tangled web of lies and dangerous games played by one of the richest families in the state—the Sweetwoods.
Sweetwood Scandal
Following his ex-girlfriend to her hometown of Wellington, New Zealand, Jacob Sweetwood is on the hunt for the thousands of dollars and the antique ruby ring Ava-Rose has stolen.
After weeks of dead-ends and a puzzling meeting with Ava-Rose’s father, Jacob heads back to Blairsville, Georgia. There, he finds comfort and solace in the company of Nancy Cooper—the straight-talking, beautiful owner of The Fox and Fig.Soon, though, Ava-Rose is back in Blairsville with no money, a story that is difficult to believe, and an undeniable tie to a scandal that threatens to upend the entire Sweetwood Syrups empire.
Sweetwood Christmas
As Gabe and Zena embark on their separate assignments under the same roof, they are often drawn together. And the more they uncover, the more they are convinced Adora is hiding something. Will the two be able to bring the truth to light in time to reunite the elder Sweetwoods and have a happy holiday ending of their own?