“No, mommy, no!” Johnny threw himself on the floor and began screaming.
Marla Evans checked her watch. If he threw a full-fledged tantrum, she’d be late again.
Johnny has been going to daycare for two years and always enjoyed it. For the past week, he’d been making a commotion, imploring Marla not to take him.
She had consulted with her pediatrician, who had informed her that toddlers frequently experienced the ‘terrible threes.’
“Stop it!” Marla heard herself scream, and she saw terror in her son’s eyes. Something was not right.
Marla got down on the floor beside Johnny and coaxed him into her lap. He wept and pressed his little face against hers. Marla decided this was more than just a tantrum, but what could go wrong?
She rocked him until he stopped crying, then softly said, “Why don’t you like daycare anymore?”
“Are the other kids mean?” But Johnny would not respond. Marla sighed. “Baby, mommy needs to go to work, but I tell you what… I’m going to come and get you from daycare early today, OK?”
Johnny sat upright in her lap. “No lunch?” He gazed up at her, anxiously. “No lunch, mommy?”
Lunch? The worried mom frowned. What was happening with her son?
She went to work and asked her boss for the afternoon off to deal with a personal issue. Thankfully, her boss was a mom too, and understood!
She decided to drop in — not before lunchtime as she promised Johnny — but during the meal.
Marla walked to the dining room and peered in. The kids were all sitting at their tables, eating.
Marla quickly spotted Johnny.
There was a woman Marla didn’t recognize sitting next to him.
As Marla watched, the woman grabbed Johnny’s spoon, scooped up some mashed potatoes, and pushed it to his lips. “Eat!” she exclaimed. Johnny shook his head violently, his jaws firmly closed, and tears streamed down his face.
“Open your mouth and eat!” the mother demanded fiercely. Johnny was visibly distressed.
Johnny wasn’t a huge eater, so she never pushed it when he said he’d eaten enough.
Johnny opened his mouth in protest, and the teacher rapidly forced the spoon in. Marla saw her son choke and spit. She had enough! She opened the door and stormed in.
“Get away from my son!” she cried.
Marla said, controlling her rage.
“Can’t you see Johnny’s had enough? He’s a healthy boy, but he is not a big eater. As an educator, you should know how traumatic force-feeding a child can be.”
“As for shoving food into a child’s mouth in that way, it is reprehensible! You should certainly know better. These children are not puppets for you to manipulate at will!”
The teacher blushed crimson red and rose to her feet. “I never…” she said.
“If this happens again, I will ensure you are out of a job! I’m not sending my son to daycare to be brutalized!”
Marla had a lengthy conversation with Johnny, and there was no tantrum the following morning. Over the next two weeks, she visited the daycare during lunchtime to keep an eye on things.
The teacher never pushed Johnny to eat again, and he regained his good humor and excitement.
