Help!! School is ruining my daughter!

I’ve heard people say it before but hadn’t really thought about it until recent weeks. Little Bean has nearly completed her first half-term at Primary School and I have to say, I don’t like what it has done to her. Before starting school she was a sweet-natured, loving little girl. Yes of course she had her moments and I have no doubt that I have blogged about them but whereas in the past I would dread watching the clock as tea time approached, I now watch the clock wondering what school home-time will bring. I have only had one decent day this week with her, the rest have been horrible. She comes out like a wound-up spring and explodes the moment she leaves her classroom. She doesn’t talk to me, she shouts at me, she doesn’t give me hugs and kisses, she smacks, yells, screeches and cries. She doesn’t play nicely with her little brother Beanie Boy, she hits him, taunts him and just generally does anything that she can to cause a scene. She barges past him like he isn’t there and keeps knocking him down steps, into door frames and off the sofa, she is being a bully!! Last night when she came home from school was probably the worst of the week, made even more soul destroying when I had sent her to school in the morning with a freshly washed uniform for the third day in a row only to collect her looking like this . . .

Please don’t get me wrong, I am all for children ‘exploring’ and ‘experimenting’ and having fun but I really think this takes the biscuit. The day before she had come home with a 4 inch thick stripe of bright red paint down her pinafore (I have already had to throw away one dress because the red paint didn’t come out!) and then the muddy monstrosity of yesterday was the straw that broke the camels back. Last week they did baking and I swear they just tipped the flour on the floor and let the children just roll in it. One little boy came out declaring “look Mummy I’m a snowman”. I don’t hear the teachers offering words of apology or a free laundry service so I would appreciate it if they could let the children enjoy themselves in a slightly less messy way.

With regards to Little Bean’s behaviour and attitude at home, I can see that the majority of it is down to being overtired from long days at school but there is no reasoning with her at all when she gets home and I feel like I’m failing as a parent. Last night I locked myself in the toilet and cried for I don’t know how long because I am wondering how on earth I am going to cope when Jelly Bean arrives after Christmas when I can’t even handle the two little ones on their own.

I having been getting all the usual toilet-humour names thrown at me which I largely ignore because I have found that she doesn’t repeat them if I say nothing. This week I was poo-poo head, last week I think I was bogey-face. Little Bean tells me that she has been playing with a couple of Year 6 boys at lunch time and they play a game where they kick each other, needless to say I was straight onto the teacher for that one!!!! She is in Reception for goodness sake, why is she being allowed to play with Year 6 boys who think it is ok to kick smaller girls?!?!?!?

Please someone tell me it gets better because so far, I’m at my wits end and the cheeky sod at the end of the tunnel appears to have switched the light off!