Okay?

We met with Troy’s teacher at the end of the semester to get an update on his progress. One of the things that she noted was that Troy liked to literally run other boys over and knock them to the ground. She said that he wasn’t being mean, he was just playing...very roughly. She said that the other kids were stunned by his behavior and didn’t know what to do about it.

I confessed that it was actually my fault, because Troy and I wrestle and play rough. And when we do, he often tries to run me over too. She said that it was perfectly understandable, because fathers wrestle with their sons. But that we need to also teach Troy to be gentle and caring to other people too. He needs to learn that if he knocks someone down, then he needs to check on them to make sure they’re okay.

So, now when he knocks me over and hurts me, like maybe an errant foot or hand to the unmentionables or the face, my wife will say, “You hurt dada, go see if he’s all right.” And Troy will come over, gently place his hand on my shoulder or back, and ask, “Okay?” I’ll reassure him that I am, and thank him for checking on me. Satisfied, he will then run me over again. I’m beginning to think that he’s just checking on me to see if he succeeded in knocking me off, or if he needs to give it another go!