Pat Down

We began the school year with a bit of a scare.  It was only the 2nd week of the school year and I received a call at work from Bird saying, "I'm driving in to school right now because Justin is in the principal's office."  Thinking I may have heard her incorrectly I repeated, "Justin?" Then she told me that a pocket knife had fallen out of his backpack and she was worried that he might be expelled. [insert long silent pause here as we both contemplated the implications of this] I asked her to please conference me in the discussion if possible when she got there.

It turns out that Justin took his pocket knife to a sleepover at his friend's house the week before school started and put it into his backpack, and then simply forgot about it.  It was an honest and simple mistake, but unfortunately it fell out on his desk at the end of the school day and he didn't even notice it before going to his locker to get something.  Upon returning his teacher presented the knife and Justin admitted that it belonged to him.  The knife remained confiscated and Justin was told that his parents would be contacted before he was sent on his way home.  We heard nothing until the next morning when Bird received a call from the principal.  The honest mistake we could more easily forgive but this stupid fucking lack of judgment we could not.

Had Justin been in 6th grade he would have been immediately suspended and a recommendation for expulsion would have been filed automatically.  However, because he is still in 5th grade they first assess the intent of the student before deciding upon consequences.  It was clear that Justin did not intend to bring the knife to school and he had an otherwise exemplary track record at school.  After a lecture he was allowed to return to class and Bird and I sighed in relief.

At home Bird and I discussed the incident anew at the dinner table and expressed our disappointment in his decision not to tell us about it firsthand before being called upon by the principal unprepared.  We payed special attention to the far reaching ramifications to our family if Justin had been expelled from school - from Bird's inability to work to the possibility that someone at school could have been injured leading to lawsuits against us.  I'll spare you our rant.  I think Justin got the point and Sam's eyes were as big as his dinner plate.

It hasn't ended for Justin, however, as his little brother has lept at this opportunity to take advantage of his older, normally saintly brother.  I took Sam to the first home pre-season Wild game last night.  At the door the security worker patted each of us down as we entered.  Once inside Sam looked at me and asked, "They are basically looking for weapons right?"  I said, "Yes" and then thinking I was being funny I asked, "Did they find any on you?"  Sam replied, "No. [pause] Unlike Justin..."  LOL!  I was slightly stunned at this brilliant comment from Sam, not for disbelief that he could say something smart but more for respect that he produced such a wonderfully original and comical rib.  I immediately texted this to Bird and she replied that while she found it quite funny herself Justin did not appreciate the comment.