Need Advice on "Smallest in Class"

I would for sure be explaining to the teacher what you son in conveying to you. I would also talk to your son and tell him that just like daddy goes to work every day, he has to go to school to learn, and mommy will do whatever she can to make him feel more comfortable at school, but you have to go. Once they start finding excuses to get out of school, it only gets worse as they get older. Good luck.

My daughter was always the smallest in her class. She was and is tiny for her age. What I would tell her is that great things come in small packages and that some day she would be wiser than all of them and even though she is smaller they will be looking up to her. She is in college now and is an RA-resident assistant and yes everyone looks up to her and respects her. Being small isn't a bad thing but kids do like to pick on people when they are different. Point out to him all of his good qualities and if necessary tell him they are jealous of him because they are so big.....It works!!

I would talk to the teacher for sure. She should be able to monitor the situation and make sure the children being mean are punished appropriately.

As for your son, I'd just try to explain that everyone grows at different times and there is nothing wrong with being small. Let him know that children who pick on him are not nice children and not friends and maybe if he has one friend (or more) who don't pick on him, talk them up as good children and the ones he should want to be friends with and listen to.

You definitely should discuss this with the teacher - other children at this age should be reprimanded for picking on others, & it s/b discussed in class as a lesson (not just the picking on, but it's terrible that other children would say they won't be his friend because of it! Who are the parents? Shame on them!). Just because your son is the smallest in his class right now does not mean he w/b the smallest next year - every child grows at a different rate. Then again, he may always be smaller than "average", and that's ok - again, everyone is different, and it's certainly not his (or anyone's) fault & nothing he can control. Expectations of proper behavior, however, can be demanded in the classroom by the teacher, and even distributed to the parents via communication sheets (e.g., "Today's lesson was..."). Good luck!

C.,

I too have a very small 5 year old. He is probably the oldest in his pre-school class because his bday is 9/29 (just shy of the kindergarten cutoff). His size is one of the main reasons I did not push him to start kindergarten with all his friends - he could have been tested in early. I don't know that anyone has ever teased him about his size though! I know that kids can be cruel, but it sounds to me like there is not enough discipline in his classroom if they are allowing the kids to talk that way!!! I would certainly address the teachers with the problem and tell them to have a conversation with the class about teasing people. You obviously don't want them to call attention to your son, so make sure that you tell them to keep the conversation generic. Saying things like "your not my friend any more", "you look different", "you ugly", etc. should not be aloud and the teachers need to enforce it. If your son will tell you who the main kids are that are saying it, I would definitely tell the teachers who they are so that they can be watched and caught in that act. That way your son doesn't look like he is being a tattle tail and can't be nagged on for that as well.

Sorry to say, but it sounds more like a lack of discipline from the teachers! My school would never allow that type of talk and if I told them something like that was occuring - they would be all over it with talking to parents and the students and watching the culprits diligently!

Good luck to you. Tell your son that God made all sizes of people for good reason. I tell my son that God made him that size so that he could get things out of small places for me since I am too big. He thinks it is a GREAT thing!