Bernard wrote about Miranda’s three consecutive days of biting. I wanted to wait a little before writing about it because I needed to see if it was really resolved. It got so bad last week that I would find myself breaking into a cold sweat every time my cell phone rang. My cell phone is programmed to give a unique ring when a restricted call comes in–and all calls from the hospital (and the daycare affiliated with the hospital) are restricted. So basically I know the moment the daycare is calling me.
DAYCARE TEACHER: Miranda bit another child. We are continuing to shadow her. If this continues, she may be suspended.
ME: Is the other child okay?
DAYCARE TEACHER: Yes, we put ice on it and they’re okay.
This is so embarrasing. When I pick up the kids, the daycare has a slew of papers for me to sign; namely, the bite reports, and one day, a bite report and an ouch report. (My kids were the biter and the victim.) I sign them as quickly as possible so that the other parents don’t see the papers and figure out that I am the mother of the biter. I scan the other kids’ arms and legs to see if I can figure out who she bit.
At home, we decided to have a conversation with Miranda and I also purchased two books, Teeth are Not for Biting and No Biting.
ME: Miranda, did you bite someone at school?
MIRANDA: (She looks down and speaks in a very quiet voice.) Yes.
ME: Miranda, biting hurts. No biting, okay?
MIRANDA: (She tries to look away. I turn her to face me.) Okay.
When I read the two books to her, she had a very deep frown on her face, and was really interested in the pages that showed a kid’s hand in another kid’s mouth and the one that had a kid crying with a big red mark on her arm. After her initial disturbed reaction, she wanted to read the books over and over.
Actually, she hasn’t bitten anyone since we talked to her and read the books to her. I hope this is the end of biting.