Just the Facts Ma'am

It seems that ‘someone’ (we know who they are) ‘gained possession’ (stole) Brandon’s cell phone on the bus yesterday (there was a witness) and sent out a vulgar text message to most people on his contact list (and God knows who else). The phone was returned by someone who found it on the ground (co-conspirator?). Then we find out there were prior incidents of head slapping and verbal attacks launched at our son and others on the bus by these same two individuals.

This is not the first time we have had trouble with this bus. Remember how I fought to get a seat on the school bus for my son at the beginning of the school year? Well, come to find out, he has been fighting to get a seat ever since. The assigned seating arrangement implemented by the assistant principal is not being enforced by the bus driver.

I would accuse the bus driver of being comatose as all of these incidents were not witnessed by him and he doesn’t appear to see children sitting on the floor of the bus while he driving - but how can that be? Someone is driving the bus so it has to be him – but that is all he is doing. He appears to have no intention of maintaining discipline and providing a safe environment. But by golly, don’t eat on his bus because he will be all over you because he has to clean up after you.

Remember the TV show Dragnet about a Los Angeles detective named Joe Friday. (I know, I know - I am aging myself). He actually stated ‘All we want are the facts, ma'am’ but that later became widely restated as ‘Just the facts, ma’am’. I found myself recalling that phrase as I sat in the assistant principal’s office today.

My husband joined us via conference call. He warned me the day before that he was ‘loaded for bear’. It means to be prepared for the worse case scenario. Bring it on! I thought that was a funny saying but very appropriate. When the call ended there was no mistake he was ‘loaded for bear’. Go Papa Bear! Show those teeth!

I was a bit more emotional. I get that way when I am in a situation involving my children. I have a tendency to make assumptions based on previous behavior of the individuals involved. This was one of the consequences, some of us were told growing up, of having a bad reputation. That in itself infers we were partially responsible even if we were falsely accused of something. It is called taking responsibility for your own actions and realizing that your behavior today can impact what people think about you in the future. It is a reality we all live with at some point or another. Nowadays, it comes down to ‘Just the facts, ma’am’. If you can’t prove it, school officials hesitate to even discuss the situation with the alleged offenders.

This carries over into adulthood where people are commended for being truthful and remorseful but the media omits the fact that they were not truthful and remorseful UNTIL THEY WERE CAUGHT. What a great message we are sending the youth of America – do what you want but deny, deny, deny and most of all - don’t get caught.