The MIDDLE Finger!!!

This is one of those stories that is just WAY to good NOT to share it.....

Dear Mrs Battaglia,

I wanted to be sure Alex brought home the paper he and I discussed yesterday. He had written once upon a time I told my brother to put up his middle finger. He told me he knows that it is bad and we discussed how you should never tell others to do bad things. He then came up to me and said I guess I don’t really know what putting the middle finger up means. I told him it was inappropriate and should never be done.

I just wanted to be sure you were aware of the situation. Let me know if you have any questions.


As a MOM that is just NOT an email you want to get from your sons teacher.....my little angel, my 7 year old, MY 2ND GRADER, the one who LISTENS, and is respectful. At that moment in time about 500 things when through my mind, and I just wasn't sure WHAT to think!!

When I picked my son up from school, I asked him...."Did your teacher give you a paper yesterday?"

His reply, "NO"

"Did you write a sentence in school that you got in trouble for"

THE FLOOD GATE OPENED! Eyes wide, and tears began to roll......

"MOM, I will tell you the WHOLE STORY"

"We were at the lunch table, and one of the boys said, You should NEVER put up your middle finger. I asked him WHY, and he said he didn't know WHY, but that it was very BAD. One of the other boys, HE KNEW what is meant...."

"AND.......", I replied

"He said that if you get someone to put their middle finger up................................"THEY WILL HAVE TWO WHOLE DAYS OF BAD LUCK!!!"

At this point I WAS in tears!!!!!!! Trying not to laugh while my little guy explain the rest of the story.....

"MOM I didn't want to bring the paper home, because when I got home I told my brother to put his finger up so I would win the football game.............I didn't want you to know..........THAT I CHEATED!!!!"

I couldn't hold back the laughing at this point....my son HAD NO IDEA what the "MIDDLE FINGER" was all about!!! When the teacher had asked if he knew it was BAD, he replied "YES" because WHAT 7 YEAR OLD wants 2 days of bad luck!!!

We talked about the "middle' finger, and my 7 year old discovered it was like saying a BAD word...He was SOOO upset!

As adults, we have had all the innocence taken from us. At 7 life is So simple, and BAD LUCK is the worst thing in WHOLE world!!

I am glad that as a MOM I was able to give the teacher just a tiny piece of innocence from a child.....so often we are QUICK to jump without an explanation.........