>Below the Line

>Punky isn’t exactly a rebel.

So imagine my surprise when she came home two days ago with a daily conduct report that said, FAIR, as opposed to the usual, EXCELLENT. Underneath, there was a note that said, “Talking in hall.”

First I thought, “Talking in the hall? So what?”

But of course, I had to pretend like it was all Very Serious.

“Punky?” I said. “What’s this about you talking in the hall?”

“I did it,” she said solemnly. “And I had to put my name below the line.”

I gasped. Below the Line was serious. Punky’s teacher had told us that under her system of discipline, students first got a warning, then if they continued the bad behavior, they had to move their name on a board from above the line with the other kids to BELOW THE LINE.

“Did anyone else have to move their name below the line?” I asked.

“Well, one boy did because he was swinging his backpack,” she answered.

“Any girls?” I asked.

“No.”

“You were the very first girl to move your name below the line in the whole class?!”

Punky thought for a moment. “Yes, Mommy,” she said. “I was the first.”

I felt a mixture of pride and horror.

“But I just didn’t understand why I couldn’t talk in the hall,” she said. “I was just trying to tell my friend something, and I just wanted to finish what I had to say. And I talked very quietly.”

I thought for a moment.

“Okay, Punky, here’s the deal,” I said finally. “Teachers love rules. They love them. And you want your teacher to like you, right?”

Punky nodded.

“Well if you want her to like you,” I continued, “You have to follow her rules. Even if they don’t make sense. Because if you can follow the rules the teacher loves, she’ll love you, too.”

My explanation satisfied her. For a moment, anyway.

“I just don’t understand,” she said quietly after thinking it over.

“What?” I said.

“I’m the Chosen One,” she said, shaking her head. “How could I forget a rule?”

“I don’t know, Punky,” I said, smiling. “Hopefully, you’ll get better at it.”

This post originally appeared on Parents.com.