Lie, Lie Again - Stacy Wise Page 0,22

getting some cereal, she opened her laptop and sat at the table. Fourteen new emails popped up in rapid succession. The first was from Darcy’s mother.

Dear Miss McFarlan and Room Fourteen Families,

I’m writing today in response to the letter that was sent home in the children’s Friday folders about the leprechaun trap assignment, and I have some concerns. I’d appreciate it if you’d all weigh in.

I am not comfortable perpetuating this leprechaun lie. I don’t mean to come across as harsh, but do you realize the damage that can be done? If we as parents lie to our children about something that’s allegedly special and magical when they are at such a young and impressionable age, how are they expected to trust us in later years? Our children will find out about the lies one day, whether from another child, a movie, or maybe even a parent who has grown tired of keeping up with the charade. And where does that leave the child? Scared and confused. I strongly urge all of you to respond with your thoughts so we can make an informed decision about this “homework” assignment for our children. Miss McFarlan, I do hope you’ll be open to our feedback.

Sincerely,

Cassandra Trainor

Riki glared at the screen. What the hell? First the Cheerios shaming and now this? She shook her head, wondering why anyone would make a big deal about a little green man.

This was supposed to be a fun project. The kids would bring in their traps on the sixteenth, and the “leprechaun” would leave plastic gold coins and some green glitter on St. Patrick’s Day. He might even turn a few chairs upside down and scatter books across the classroom library. It had always been such a great event at Clover Street Elementary. She scrolled down, surprised to see that all fourteen emails had the same subject line.

Here we go again. How many times would she have to deal with utter nonsense? Thank goodness the end of the school year was nearing. As thrilled as she had been to get the job at Ocean Avenue Academy, one of the finest private schools in Los Angeles, according to their website, she had to admit she missed the public school system. So many parents had been grateful for all she did. But at Ocean Avenue, she couldn’t read a story aloud without someone complaining that the book was too this, too that, or not enough. It was stifling. With a firm tap to her keyboard, she opened the next email.

Hi Room Fourteen Fams,

This is Jennifer Clarke, Payton’s mom, weighing in. I love the idea of the leprechaun traps! It’ll be fun for the kids! They enjoy believing! Sure, they’ll learn the truth one day, but I plan on telling Payton when the time is right. I’ll make sure she understands it’s a fun legend, not some wicked lie I’ve concocted to confuse her. Let’s be realistic about this. There’s Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and a few I’m probably forgetting!

For those of you who are interested, I’ve included some links to Pinterest for some fabulous trap ideas. My vote is to keep the assignment!

All best,

Jenn

Well, thank you, Jenn! Hopefully her enthusiasm and overuse of exclamation points would be contagious. Cassandra Trainor was inching her way to the top of the list of difficult parents. Riki pulled a sheet of paper from the printer and drew a line down the middle with another line crossing perpendicular at the top, forming a large T. On the left, she wrote Sane Parents. On the right, she wrote Crazy Parents. It was mean, but no one would see her list. And seriously, why did Mrs. Trainor have to get so bent? If a parent didn’t want her kid to join in, she could have her skip the assignment. It was second grade, not Harvard.

After logging the first two names in the appropriate columns, she opened the next email.

Dear Miss McFarlan et al.,

Elliott Johanson, Dane’s father, here. It strikes me that Ms. Clarke took a very cavalier attitude toward this serious discussion. Parenting done right takes thought and reflection. It requires time to consider what long-term effects our decisions can have. I, for one, believe Mrs. Trainor makes some valid arguments in favor of dismissing the assignment. Let’s take a moment to weigh the pros and cons. I look forward to hearing additional viewpoints.

Best regards,

Elliott Johanson,

Senior Managing Partner

Johanson and Wolfe, LLP

Riki scrolled to the next email without adding Mr. Johanson to either