12 / 102
- 10 -
a few days very stressed parents were picking up a
very stressed little boy. Keaton had cried most of the
day, eating almost nothing at snack or lunchtime.
The nap time was the worst for him and for the
workers. The phrases he was saying during nap
time confused the staff. The principal/preacher told
Keaton’s parents that he sat on his cot and said “Your
momma’s going to get you”; Keaton repeated this
over and over. The principal believed that Keaton
was threatening to have his parents rebuke the staff
for something done to him. The family later realized
that Keaton was reassuring himself that his mother
would be back for him. This reassurance had been
given to him by his parents and the staff over and
over. By saying your and you instead of my and me,
Keaton’s meaning was unclear to the staff. Using the
correct pronoun was something the family worked
on with Keaton for many years.
It was now the end of his first week and what would
turn out to be the end of his stay at this preschool.
He became ill with a virus. The principal took this
opportunity to call his father and to tell him that
Keaton needed to be picked up from school. Mark
was informed that it would be best for all concerned
if Keaton was removed from that school permanently.
The family was in turmoil. Both of his parents were
public school teachers, and some sort of care for
Keaton was needed immediately. He came to Pulaski
to stay with us the next week. During his stay, my
older son, who is a physician, treated Keaton for his
fever. I asked my son Carl Hanks Jr., what he thought
might be Keaton’s basic problem. I must tell you now