Chronicle of a lady: great fright, my son, a Camorrista?

The year and its succession of time-consuming commitments have truly begun, the Olympics are over, the weather is bad, the summer atmosphere is gone. Here we are again with the peak days, work and family life to reconcile (I hate that expression!), the feeling of being overworked, even if it is September 16th. 48 minutes of free time a day: this is what French women have according to a European study. You see, time when there is no immediate obligation to engage in paid work, child-rearing, or household chores. But that is not the subject of this article.

“Something very serious has happened”

This week, finally last Saturday, a strange adventure happened to us. It’s about 11 in the morning, the big ones have gone to play in the park, the little ones are starting to get impatient, they want to go out too. The intercom rings: “He’s Lucien’s father, I can talk to you.” Surprise, Liam was in Lucien’s class at CE2 before he changed schools, they were very good friends then they had a little fight. At the beginning of the week he told me he met him at school.

The father, in his fifties, bursts into the hallway. He is angry, very angry, he tells us that something serious has happened. Liam and his gang of friends wanted to extort his son this week. They surrounded him and ordered him to bring the money the next day, otherwise watch out for beatings. I hear him from afar, I get closer, we are stunned, the father assures us that Liam was seen by witnesses. On Monday he will have a meeting with the CPE to clarify everything.

I always imagine the WORST

The door slams, I stand there, stunned, how could my son do something like this… the first week of school. We called him right away, he denied everything, he barely said hello. My husband is sure that there is a mistake in the person, that the father must have confused him, he is sure of himself.

For my part, I am skeptical, yes I admit, I suspect my son. I know his temperament, his arrogance, his sometimes sarcastic side. I also know that, like many of his classmates, he talks a lot about money, the price of the latest sneakers, the amount of his allowance… He has already sold small things during recess to earn some money. He is intelligent, a cheat, but from there to… threatening another child. It’s not my fault, I’m made like that, I always imagine the worst.

Great emotional lift!

I go shopping with the twins, on the way I can’t stop brooding. For a moment I tell myself that somehow I prefer him to be the executioner rather than the victim. I keep hearing “we don’t know our children”, “I missed him more than this”…

When I got home, I learned that the father had returned and was very sorry. He had in fact mixed up several pieces of information that Lucien’s mother had given him (they are separate). The boy saw my son and quickly said hello, he too was extorted, but not by my Liam. The boy does not know which side to take, he sends us tons of apology messages. He does not seem to be in good shape.

Of course, what an adventure this Saturday morning, a great emotional boost! But I wonder, did I still believe my son was capable of something like that. I’m a little ashamed. Too bad I don’t believe it often. I’m ashamed to put them in boxes, to easily put labels on them knowing that it sucks. I think the worst thing about being a parent is saying something really bad to your child and knowing at the same time that you’re telling him that it’s wrong, unfair, that you’ll ruin his trust, but we can’t help him.

And why Lucien and his angelic face? Why not my son? What makes some people easier prey? Who are these teenagers who have fallen into hyperviolence?

None of this is news: during their school career, one in ten students in France is said to be a victim of harassment. And, as you can see, racketeering is still a plague.