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When class ended, Violet thought maybe Jason would try to run. Most kids would, but Jason waited at his desk until people left the room, and then walked to her.
“Hi, Ms. Moore.” Jason said, miserably.
Violet sighed. She couldn’t be mad at the kid - not when he looked so sad about it.
“Is something going on at home?” She asked. “What happened today wasn’t right, but it also wasn’t like you.”
“Everything’s fine," he muttered.
“I’m not going to use it against you. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
There was a long pause as the boy considered it. Then he said, “My dad isn’t home anymore. Mom says he’s not coming back.”
There was a long silence, and Violet didn’t know what to say. She could feel Jason’s pain, because something similar had happened to her.
When she was five, her dad walked out of the door and never came back. She hadn’t seen him since.
Violet knew that Jason was hurting, so she decided to be kind instead of punishing him.
“I’m so sorry, Jason," Violet said. “I know that’s hard.”
“No, you don’t. You’re a teacher. You can’t understand.”
Violet sighed, trying her best not to get defensive. Jason’s aggression faded.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Jason replied. “I shouldn’t talk to you like that.”
“You’re right, but I also know you’ve got to be feeling a lot about all of this. And feeling a lot of things is hard.”
Jason didn’t answer. He glared at the floor.
Violet gave him a moment before continuing. “It’s a big change, and I’ve … I’ve been there. My dad did the same thing, and it’s so hard when it happens. But we can’t treat others terribly because of our emotions, okay? We can feel them, experience them - whatever you need, but it starts being wrong once you take it out on others.”
“I know… it’s hard right now. My mom’s doing it all. She has to work, cook, and clean. And she’s always late picking me up. It sucks. I go and wait at the park, but it’s cold.”
“Why don’t you stay in my classroom instead? I can stay late if you want me to.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ll even throw some extra credit in.”
For the first time, Jason smiled, and that made it all worth it.
“You’re a good kid, Jason," Violet told him. “We have to work on some stuff.”
“Thank you, Ms. Moore. Can I stay now? I think my mom is gonna be a few minutes late.”
“Sure. I’ll be here for a while.”
Jason nodded and went back to his desk. He pulled out homework and quietly worked. He seemed to be much better spirits than before, and Violet was proud. She had given good advice and made his mood a little brighter. It was perfect.
Emotions are okay and we all need to feel what we feel, but not take them out on other people. It was great advice.
But are you living it?
Violet paused in her thoughts. She never wanted to give advice and not take it. So, was she taking out her emotions on others?
The first person that came to mind was Charlie.
