TOsitting at a cafe, just next to a small public school in Nantes, I observe two children, a girl and a boy of about 8 or 9 years old, bustling around their fathers, at the table next door . I understand that there is debate around dinner: pizzas against leftovers from the day before (I obviously chose my side). I take advantage of the dads’ attempt to resume their (seemingly serious) conversation to strike up a (no less serious) discussion with their children. First question, the snack menu, of course.
“These days, it’s not too tasty cakes. But today I didn’t eat them because they were so soft. You know, you think you’re going to bite into it and in the end it doesn’t even break, it feels more like chewiness… “
After exchanging about our taste disappointments, we start to discuss their day.
“Today at school there is a boy who drank ink! In addition it was green. His lips were all green … And his tongue also at the end.
– When I was in the middle section there was a little boy, Kenzo, who kept biting the teacher every day! To hit her, to push her, to kick her. But it was because, his parents, they were separated… ”
I don’t know if I should be worried about the kid who took the chemicals or sympathize with the guilt divorced parents felt when I read those words.
“Or if not, it is that some things happened in their life, what. Because, for example, we tell them bad stuff and it really pisses them off.
– Yes, we will say that, afterwards, well that makes them sad… ”
Balloon deprived
And them, what do they do when they are sad or upset?
“Me, frankly, when I’m angry actually, I have a big tiger blanket and now that I have it, well I hit it and it makes a lot of noise and it’s nice. Otherwise I have little balls with marbles in them.
– We can already try to control ourselves. Try to be a little in “it’s okay, it’s okay” mode… I relax a little in your head. I say “zen, zeeeenn”. Or I go to the bathroom, I drink a small glass of water, I pee… And then I feel calm.
– And also, if we bother you, you can go tell the adults … But hey, we don’t really like that, us. “
Here then, and why is that?
“Well because we, our host, she is more in“ I scold super loud and I punish ”mode. She’s a little …
– We will say brutal! She doesn’t try to explain herself to the children. It’s big punishments when sometimes it’s not that bad, which they did. Once we had just talked a little bit and she deprived us of the ball for two weeks.
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