I have mischievous boys. If you know them you probably think this story is going to be about number two, the impetuous, and sometimes dangerous, Kristopher Ryan. But this time you would be wrong. Kyle was the oldest, he was always on the lookout for Kristopher, and someone had to be. It wasn’t that he was a tattletale, but he could be that too, he just felt it was his job and duty to keep him safe. They were more than five years apart and that seemed to bring out not just the older brother, but almost a father figure in Kyle. He took it seriously and it saved Kristopher from many a catastrophe.

But then there was the sweet and innocent number three, Korey Ross. He never got into trouble. He didn’t go looking for it, especially in his younger years. He was too cute, too adorable, and too doted upon by his brothers to do anything wrong. There was another five years between Kristopher and Korey so there again was the protector syndrome. We didn’t plan on that but it sure worked out well.

But sometimes they used him when it was for their convenience. Like the time Kyle, Kristopher and their cousin, Jeremy, duct-taped Korey to the wall. Literally, up off the floor, to the wall! Poor kid, I came down to the basement and there he was a foot and a half off the floor. They had totally duct-taped his whole body to the wall. Some of it was not to his clothes either, so he was not a happy camper when it came time to start ripping that sticky gray stuff off.

We were youth pastors when the boys were young so they had about 25 teenage brothers and sisters. This gave us a host of babysitters and provided them with tons of attention. Kristopher and Korey were definitely spoiled. Needless to say I was a busy mother of three; frazzled, and always on the run. This is my excuse for what happened on that sunny spring day when Korey was almost expelled from elementary school…

I had gotten in the habit of taking the youngest two to school in the mornings so they didn’t have to ride the bus and it gave us a little more time. One particular morning as they hopped out of the mini-van we said our good-byes and away I went. After I left the school, I stopped at the grocery store for a few items and hurried back home. As I was getting my bags out of the van I noticed Korey’s cap guns were not on the middle seat where they had been when we got in the vehicle on the way to school. My brain started working very quickly and I began to feel sick.

We were just about six months past the terrible Columbine tragedy in Colorado. And I suddenly realize my first grader has put his beloved toy cap guns in his backpack to show his friends! Panic set in as I ran to the kitchen to call his school. We had direct lines to the teacher and I knew that if I called and explained that Korey had them in his backpack BEFORE he ever took them out, that everything would be ok.

Unfortunately his teacher did NOT see it that way. She wanted to make a public example out of my six year old. She was practically yelling at me through the phone and said she and Korey would meet me in the principal’s office where Korey would be “dealt with”.

I just couldn’t believe this was happening. I understood things were delicate and that is why I had called to stop this before anything did cause any misunderstandings. Was it really necessary to put an innocent little boy through public humiliation just for wanting to show his friends his toys? And he hadn’t even gotten them out!  Korey had played Cowboys and Indians ever since he could walk; he loved John Wayne and anything western. He was a little boy.

As soon as I arrived, the secretary ushered me into the principal’s office and she offered me a seat. She told me Korey was on his way with his teacher. I said I understood that the teacher was going to make a big deal out of this. And the principal said, “No, she is not. We do not make public examples of children, or adults.” This wise woman saw this for what it was. She thanked me for calling the school when I realized what had happened. She then very softly told Korey that we cannot bring to school anything that even “looks like a weapon”. And he understood that. She was my hero. I honestly think that teacher saw an opportunity for publicity because she just kept telling me on the phone, over and over, “we are going to make a public example out of him”. But regardless, it was handled appropriately, and I was thankful and did not hold any hard feelings; we got along great the rest of the year.

Of course I had a long talk with Korey, and with Kristopher, about how times were changing and how we had to be careful in the world today. And I am sure we cannot fully understand the pressure teachers and administrators are under, my admiration for all of them remains the same.  They are under a lot of stress, and even more so today, than we can imagine, and I didn’t want to be guilty of putting any more pressure on them. They are all heroes. I realize she could have had a bad day, I do not know what caused her to want to overreact but thankfully an even wiser principal was in charge.

This post wasn’t for debate about toy guns. It was about mischievous little boys and the mothers who survived them. That one aged me a few years and cost me several gray hairs. Korey cannot take credit for too many of them but he can brag about that one. Or not.

Kristopher on the other hand….have you heard about the one where he called the police to our house when he wasn’t even two years old? Another day, another story…