Today my son learned his first “hard lesson” and I am heartbroken.
Hello fellow dads, I thought this morning was just the usual. We just transitioned to a new school this year (going from elementary to middle school) and I was feeling like things are moving along smoothly. Well today while driving my son (11) to school he suddenly noticed half-way through the trip that he forgot his student ID (which he normally carries around his neck in a lanyard). We quickly turned around and hoped his mom (who WFH) could maybe meet us half way there to give us the ID or he’ll be late for his morning class.
While driving back home, I gave my son my cell phone so he can call his mom and text her. There were no answers or replies. My son started to get frantic, he kept calling and pleading. He left voicemails saying “help me mommy!” I knew in the back of my mind what’s happening. His voice started to crack, I could feel my heart sinking with every pleas. We finally drove all the way back home to pick up the damn ID and quickly made our way back to school. He ended up being 5 minutes late and got a “T” for tardy.
My wife did this on purpose to “teach him a lesson” and she confirmed it when I confronted her. I am very torn, guys. Maybe thinking back through my own childhood I never liked this type of teaching. What does the lesson even mean? That he can’t even depend on his own parents? I can see this going into his core memory, and I am bitter about this. Any coping mechanism fellow dads can share? How would you handle this?