Wisdom Needed.....

Come on all you who have older children than me, I need some of your wisdom and experience.....

Max is 5. Ever since going into year 1 in September (and don't get me started on my feelings about year 1...) he has been saying he hasn't got any friends and that at playtimes he sits all on his own on a cold log getting a cold bottom (can you hear the violins?). Every time I speak to the teacher about it she dismisses it and says that he is very popular and lots of children want to play with him.

Now I know Max. I know he sometimes lives on a planet entirely different to the rest of us, and I know he sometimes exaggerates and makes things up. I know he is dramatic (can't think where he gets that from...) and I know he is extremely strong willed (or that one...). I also know that teachers have alot of other things to think about than the emotional well being of each child in their class. However, this seems to be becoming worse and worse and is very upsetting for all of us when I have to drag Max kicking and screaming to school.

It came to a head yesterday when, having not seen X Factor at the weekend, I played their new charity song on you tube because I wanted to hear it (funnily enough!). The song, for those of you not in the loop, is the Michael Jackson classic 'You Are Not Alone'. Whilst I was doing this, Max was happily drawing and cutting at the table in the room (thankfully on paper and not on the table, that is Jonah's speciality). As the first verse was sung, Max looked up at me and his eyes filled with tears. His bottom lip wobbled and he burst out "That's how I feel at school! I feel like I am all on my own and I have no friends!". He then proceeded to sob and sob all the way through the song. This, of course, had me in tears too as I cuddled him and sung to him. All the while, Jonah is clambering all over me saying "Mummy crying, Mummy crying!"

When the song finished, I tried to talk to him about how he was feeling and what was actually happening at school. It was very difficult to understand exactly what he was saying, but the main point seemed to be that he has learnt to love his enemies, because that is what is says in the Bible, and he thinks that if he tells the teacher what is going on then he won't be loving his enemies. He was so very upset and I could not seem to get the message across to him that he has to talk to the teacher.

So, this morning I tried to have a "quick word" with the teacher who looked harassed and frazzled already and it was only 9am! She said, again, that he was fine. I will talk to her again after school today. I know that Max is prone to exaggerating things, but for him to sob through a song like he did yesterday, I am sure that there is something happening to make him feel so sad and I want to help......

But How??? Please post ideas below because I am really struggling with this one.......