A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you seem to like Mari, and like her name also. Please enjoy and review!
Aidan Stokes bounced a basketball on the playground of Las Vegas Elementary Tuesday afternoon. None of the other boys really wanted to play today, but Aidan was always up for a game. He would rather just stand on the court dribbling the ball and taking shots than play on the playground. Someone would come along eventually.
The seven year old looked over to where most of the first graders were playing – on the swings and the apparatuses. He spied his sister after just a few seconds, surrounded by several of her girl friends. Aidan knew his twin sister was popular, mainly because she talked all the time, so she was bound to make a few friends. Aidan was also well liked by the other kids, but his sister was the prima girl in first grade. He was thankful they were in different classes this year. Last year in kindergarten, it had become almost unbearable. He would get so sick of Bailey that he couldn't stand to be around her at home. She always just talked, talked, talked, and ran, ran, ran, and got in trouble, trouble, trouble. At least eyes were taken off him and he could get away with a little more.
"You want to shoot?" Came a female adult voice from behind the young boy. Aidan turned to see Miss Lorden, Bailey's teacher. She seemed to be a pretty cool teacher, and more fun than the old, near-retirement lady he had.
Aidan bounced the ball to Miss Lorden, who acted as if she was in deep concentration. After a few dribbles, she shot the ball and made a basket.
"Nice shot, Miss Lorden." He said politely.
"Thank you, Aidan." She bounced the ball to him after retrieving it. Aidan was surprised she knew his name. All the teachers probably talked about who had the most awful kids after school.
Aidan set up his shot and took it, and made the basket also.
"Do you ever play with your sister at recess?"
Aidan sighed. People seemed to think that since they were twins, they must do everything together. But it seemed Bailey and Aidan couldn't be more opposite. The only thing they had in common was basketball. Both twins played in the city league for kids, but that's all they did together. Aidan played baseball, and Bailey did swimming.
"Not really. I have to be around her at home all the time."
"I see. I guess I wouldn't want to spend recess with someone who I lived with either. What's Bailey like at home?" The young teacher probed.
"I don't know. Kinda the same. She runs around a lot and gets in trouble a lot."
"What does she get in trouble for?"
"Mostly for being too hyper, my daddy says. And she forgets to do her homework and chores a lot, so she gets in trouble for that too."
"Why do you think she does that?"
"I don't know. She just forgets a lot and can't be good."
"Oh, dear."
The recess bell rang, and Miss Lorden had to round up all the kids.
"Nice talking to you, Aidan. You sound like a really great brother."
"Thanks, Miss Lorden."
Aidan watched Miss Lorden leave, yelling to line up at the door. Bailey sure had a nice teacher. He wished Bailey would be nicer to her, and quit acting up.
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Nick and Sara walked hand in hand down the hallway of Las Vegas Elementary towards the primary wing. Mally had graciously volunteered to watch her younger siblings after they finished school so they could both go in to talk to Miss Lorden. The parents hadn't been so nervous about visiting a school since, well…Mally was accused of cheating. There was an ominous feeling, like the teacher was going to tell them just how awful Bailey was. As parents, they worried endlessly about their children, and felt very nervous at a teacher telling them they weren't doing a good job. Nick and Sara knew they were good parents, but Bailey tested their limits constantly. They did their best with the little girl.
As they neared Miss Lorden's classroom, they saw the young teacher at her desk, and she looked about as nervous as them. The Stokes were reminded this was difficult for her too, but that didn't make it any easier for them.
Sara knocked on the opened classroom door, and Miss Lorden greeted them warmly.
"Come on in, guys, and take a seat over there at the table. I'll just grab my stuff."
Nick and Sara quietly found two tiny chairs and sat at the table designed for seven year olds. Their knees touched the sides uncomfortably and Sara giggled nervously at the setting. The room was decorated cutely as any first grade classroom was. Lots of things hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. Bailey's desk was at the front of the room where Miss Lorden could easily keep an eye on her.
Miss Lorden smiled as she sat down with them, a manila folder in tow, and took a deep breath before beginning. Damn, she was hot, Nick thought. He wished he had a teacher as good looking as her when he was in school.
"Thank you so much for coming in today. I appreciate your support in everything at school. A lot of parents aren't like that nowadays." She admitted. A lot of parents seemed to take their child's side instead of the teacher's side, making it difficult for schools. But luckily the Stokes were firm believers in backing their children's teachers up.
"We appreciate you calling." Sara told her nervously.
"I called you in today because I've had some more concerns about Bailey's behavior, and I was hoping we could talk and work out a plan to help her succeed."
Her speech sounded like it was straight out of an education book, which it was. Miss Lorden was so nervous about meeting with the Stokes. She didn't want them to think she was a failure, or were offended that she was concerned about Bailey.
"We would love to help you out in any way possible." Nick told her honestly. "And for you to keep helping us out at home."
"Well, good. I'm glad we're on the same page."
"Bailey loves you as a teacher, but we've been noticing more and more behavior problems at home too. Do you think she has real problems…" Sara trailed off.
"I've definitely noticed a change since the beginning of the year. She's just been having more and more trouble sitting still and concentrating. And she forgets things a lot. Do you notice that?"
"I don't know how many times she's been in trouble for forgetting her homework and chores." Nick admitted.
"Okay. And I've been seeing similar things here. She'll find her homework in her desk in the morning that she forgot to take home, and I reminded her she can come in after school…"
"We're not allowing her to do that. If she forgets her homework, then she has to suffer the consequences." Nick explained, a stickler for this rule. "It's been painful for her, but we think it teaches her a valuable lesson."
"That's just fine. I appreciate your support."
"I've been considering some sort of a chart system with Bailey." Miss Lorden continued, "Where she can earn rewards for good behavior, instead of being punished for bad behavior, and you could use it at home if you like the idea. Each day that she remembers her homework and doesn't get a yellow card, she will earn a gold star. When she collects five stars, she can get a prize from the prize box, or some other reward."
"What if she misses a day? Would she start over?" Sara tried to clarify.
"Ummm…we can start off by allowing her to continue, even when she misses a day, but if we need to, we could make her start over."
Sara nodded her head and looked at her husband, who looked a bit skeptical, leaning back in his chair.
"Nick, what do you think?" She asked her husband.
"I like it, butone of myconcerns would be Aidan." Nick admitted. "He's such a good kid, and always does his homework and rarely gets in trouble. If he sees his sister getting rewarded for the things he does anyway, what will happen?"
"Well, we could always make a chart for him, too." Sara suggested.
"Yeah, but does he really need that? I don't want them thinking that whenever they do what's expected of them, they should get some reward. That's not really how life works. Sometimes, you just have to work hard."
Miss Lorden looked uncomfortable, as her plan was being vetoed by Nick. She wasn't quite sure what to say, and Nick could see he'd made her uneasy.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lorden, I didn't mean to sound defensive. We'd need to think about this a lot more. It's a good idea, but I'm not sure that's the kind of message I want to send to Bailey."
"Well, she really loves you, Miss Lorden, so maybe her reward could be eating lunch with you or something like that. She'd love to spend some one on one time with you." Sara suggested. "What do you think, Nick?"
"I think we should discuss this at home first." Nick said seriously. He wouldn't agree to anything concerning his children right on the spot. There needed to be more serious discussion with his wife.
"Okay, Nick." Sara said, obviously a little disappointed that he wasn't taking to the idea. But they were a team, and if he wasn't on board, the plan would sink to the bottom. They were about to get up to leave when Miss Lorden stopped them again.
"I also wanted to give you a referral." She told them nervously, not knowing what they would think. "To the school psychologist. I've only taught for a few months, but I think what I'm seeing in Bailey may fall under the ADHD spectrum."
"ADHD?" Nick questioned. "You mean a hyperactivity disorder?"
"Yes. And a difficulty concentrating. Bailey's been showing a lot of the symptoms. She can't sit still, she's disruptive, and forgets things a lot. I think it would be worth checking out."
Nick was shocked. He'd never even thought about the possibility of Bailey having ADHD. His little girl had serious problems? Her teacher thought she may need to be medicated? Or was she just trying to make excuses for her inexperience and inability to handle such a child as Bailey? Sure, she was a handful, but with the right discipline, Bailey was just fine. He often wondered how his daughter would be doing in another classroom. Would she be having the same problems?
"Do you think she'd be having the same problems in another classroom?" Nick asked, though he knew it was rude.
"Nick!" Sara warned him, feeling bad for Miss Lorden. Nick was very protective of his children, especially his girls.
"Mr. Stokes, I…"
"Her brother is doing just fine is Mrs. Wendell's room. I mean, they're twins. They can't have that much difference in behavior issues."
Nick knew that was a flat out lie, but he'd just been told his daughter may have serious problems. He was defensive when it came to his children, but he was also testingthe teacher. Did she really know what she was talking about?
"Believe me, Mr. Stokes. I have discussed this situation at length with my colleagues. My principal has been more than pleased with my performance and classroom management, so yes, I do think she would be having similar issues in other classrooms. I also spoke to her kindergarten teacher, who has twenty three years' experience, and she saw similar behaviors last year."
Damn! She'd really done her homework. Despite being young, Miss Lorden knew what she was talking about. She wouldn't bring up something as serious as ADHD unless she was sure it was appropriate. It wasn't something she'd dreamed of doing while in college, but it had happened her first year.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lorden. I didn't mean to sound defensive. It's just, she's my little girl, you know, and I just want her to succeed."
"I understand." She smiled weakly. "I want her to succeed also, which is why I think we should see what the psychologist says. I want to get her the help she needs."
"Thank you, Miss Lorden." Sara said, embarrassed by her husband's little outburst. He ranted all the time to the twins about respecting teachers, and he'd about bitten the poor girl's head off. "We'll set up an appointment with the psychologist and talk about your behavior plan. Thanks for your time."
"And yours too."
Sara quickly shuffled her husband out of the room, shutting the door. She then smacked Nick on the back of the head.
"Nicholas Alan Stokes!" She almost yelled. "What has gotten into you? That poor woman will probably never want to teach again!"
"I'm sorry, Sar," He said sheepishly, "I was just trying to get information, and making sure seeing the psychologist was necessary."
"She's a teacher, Nick. Even though she's young, she knows her stuff."
"I realize that now, thank you." Nick muttered. He felt a mixture of disappointment and hope as they walked down the hall. Miss Lorden did know her stuff, but it was an uneasy feeling. Bailey probably really did need to be evaluated at least, but that wasn't a good feeling for the parents. Was it something they'd done? Where had things gone wrong? Why were Aidan and the rest of the kids fine, and Bailey had so many issues? It didn't make sense. Sometimes it amazed them at how different their children's needs were. Mally was basically independent, apart from seeking advice from them on occasion. They were practically done raising her. Aidan's biggest concern was his confidence – he sometimes seemed overshadowed by his more outgoing sister, and lacked self esteem somewhat. He needed encouragement more than anything else.
Bailey was just a firecracker. Sometimes she was sweet as could be, but many times she was hyper, disruptive, and attention-seeking. She required the most discipline of all the others combined. Bailey needed to be kept leashed in and under control.
And, of course Mari. She was at the stage in her life where she depended on others for everything. Keeping her safe, potty training, manners, and right versus wrong were her main issues. Having a toddler was a full-time job in itself, and they were thankful they had three older children to help out.
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Mally was pushing her baby sister on the swings that afternoon in a park near their house. It was one of the swings that had leg holes so the toddler wouldn't fall out. Mari had the biggest smile imaginable on her face, her arms out to the sides, letting the breeze hit as much of her body as possible.
"Woo hoo!" She yelled as Mally pushed her again.
"Do you like swinging, Mari?"
"Yep! Harder!" She demanded. Mally sighed and tried to push a little harder. Her arms were tired after twenty minutes of pushing, but it was her sister's favorite activity. How could she say no? She glanced over at the twins, who were actually playing together on the playground.
She'd finally given in to her siblings' demands a little after four o'clock. They were getting really rambunctious, especially Bailey, so she brought them to burn off some energy. Hopefully, they'd be tired enough to be good for their parents, and they could actually have some breathing time.
"Mally, when's it time for basketball?" Bailey yelled from across the park.
Mally's heart about dropped. Her parents never said anything about basketball practice. She glanced at her watch.
"What time is it normally?"
"Four thirty."
"Shit! It's almost five o'clock." Mally slapped her hand over her mouth, not believing she just said shit in front of her seven and two year old siblings.
"Shit!" Mari repeated, giggling. She was learning new words all the time.
"Mari, don't say that word." Mally told her sister.
"Shit!" She repeated. It was a neat-sounding word, the two year old decided.
"You'll get in trouble if you say that word." Mally informed her as she stopped the swing and gripped Mari under the armpits. Her foot got caught in the hole, and she actually hooked it so Mally couldn't get her out.
"Mo' swing!" She demanded.
"No more swinging, Mari. We have to get home."
"I say shit!" She warned.
"No! Don't say shit! Don't say that word!"
Mally knew she was far past the stage in her life when she could be punished by her parents, but their looks still whipped her back in line. They would not be happy with her if they learnedshe taught Mari her first cuss word.
"Mo' swing!"
"We'll swing more tomorrow. I promise." She waggled her sister around, trying to get her foot loose. Now she understood how frustrated her parents would get when she or the twins threw a tantrum as little kids. It was so damn annoying and embarrassing! The other parents were looking at her now.
"Come on, Mari. We need to go." She gently whispered.
Mari finally gave up and allowed her sister to place her on her hip.Mally quickly ushered over the twins and they scurried home.
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Nick and Sara had just arrived home a few minutes before when their four children barged into the front door. They were having a little make out time on the couch after their small fight on the way home. Mally scrunched her face up as they scrambled to adjust their clothing and sit up straight. Bailey and Aidan were getting smarter, and knew what their parents had been up to.
"Eeeeeewwwww." Bailey commented as she ran and pounced onto Nick's lap.
"Oooof!" Nick let out. Bailey put her arms around his neck and settled into his lap. It reminded Nick of just how sweet and loving she could be when she wanted to. He wondered if this was how she'd always be if she were medicated. Had the daughter he'd known these past seven years been a lie? If she were medicated, would it change her personality? Nick loved Bailey and all her moods, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies. He didn't want to change who she was.
Nick took his daughter in completely, feeling the weight of her body, the smell of her shampoo, and the sound of her giggling happily. He kissed her on the forehead and held onto her a little tighter.
"I love you, Bailey."
"Love you too, daddy." She kissed him back.
"Mom, does she have basketball practice tonight?" Mally asked, out of breath. She put Mari down on the floor, and she scurried over to her mother, who lovingly took the little girl into her lap. Aidan plopped himself down on the couch.
"Aidan, shoes off." Sara reminded her son. He quickly nudged them off and reclined himself once again on the sofa. "No, sweetheart. Only Mondays and Wednesdays."
"Phew!" Mally allowed herself to sit on the recliner next to her parents. "We had a little scare. I made them rush back because I thought she was late."
"Well, it's getting late anyway. We need to start making dinner." Sara waggled her eyebrows at Mari. Her pudgy hand reached up and tried to grab her mother's dancing eyebrows. When she failed, Sara tried to bite her hand.
"Shit!" Mari exclaimed, snatching her hand out of the way.
Her parents' eyes shot over to the two year old in shock. Had she just said what they thought she said? They next looked at Bailey, who held her hands up in innocence. Their gazes then shifted to Mally, who looked undeniably guilty, her hand covering her face.
"Shit." She muttered.