GRRRRR

I am feeling very frustrated today with the thought process of people here in this country. Now I know that this is very generalized and there might be people that will agree with my point of view but I know that what I have to say will also annoy a lot of people as well.

So all of you that know my family will know that M has always been a very emotional girl. Her emotions in general rule her behavior. She has been working really hard to change this about her self and this year has been very successful. While she still has small outbursts she is able to quickly (usually) bring herself back in control. As the year has gone on she has made some great friends that have stood by her when she has struggled and stood up for her when she has been bullied. This has been a huge help to her and I am grateful to her friends for being there for her. That being said, M can still be very headstrong and easily frustrated which can be problematic. Which brings me to my story...

Yesterday at school she was playing a game of soccer/kickball with a group of friends and as she explained it to me they were all really good at sports so she wasn't able to kick the all very much. This frustrated her (she had been teased a lot yesterday by boys so her emotions were on edge anyway) , but she held it together. Recess ended and she hurriedly picked up the soccer ball to take it inside, I am sure this was in part because she was annoyed and didn't want them to play anymore. On the way up the ramp to the portable building her classroom is in the girls caught up with her and started tickling her as a way to get the ball. When they finally did get it M was more frustrated and stormed off into the classroom and slammed the door behind her. No big deal, right? Well I am still yet to figure out how this happened, but in the process of slamming the door a friend of hers got her face hurt. Now the door in question opens outwards, so for her to have been hurt by a slamming door her head would have to have been entering the doorway before the rest of her body and become stuck between the door and the doorway. Possible, sure, a little strange, yes!
The girl came in crying and told the teacher that she was hurt by the door that M had slammed. There was a lot of crying by both girls, M saying she didn't mean to hurt her, that it was an accident and the girls talked and were fine.
The teacher emailed me and told me what had happened, but that she thought that M hadn't meant to hurt anyone. Both the girls were okay with each other and she just wanted me to know what had happened.
M came home and without telling her what I was already knew I asked her about her day and if there was anything she needed to tell me. She told me the same things that her teacher had and we discussed that her actions regardless of whether or not she meant to hurt her caused consequences and that she needs to get her emotions under control. All the usual stuff!! Moving on...
Wrong. Today I get a phone call from the Principle to let me know that he heard about it and the girl that got hurt, her jaw might be fractured. The school insurance doesn't cover things like that and that someone from the school district or something like that, will be calling me to mediate between families for payment of medical expenses. I was getting upset at this point and told him what I was aware happened and he said that wasn't what he heard from M's teacher, and that he didn't want to flat out call her a liar but the stories didn't add up. I then told him that I didn't feel that it was right that I be made to pay for medical expenses if it was an accident. He just said he understood but couldn't get involved and that someone would be calling me to discuss it.
Here is what makes me so mad. Firstly why wouldn't the school insurance cover something like that? If in fact someone else should have to pay. It happened at school, shouldn't it be covered? Second, I guess because I am not from here, my thought is, if it was my child that was hurt it would be my responsibility to pay. But it seems like their first thought is someone else should pay! I am not yet sure if they will try and make me pay but that is the feeling i got from the principle and I am beyond mad about it. I understand that my daughter slammed the door and it is a heavy door. But it was an accident, there was no malice involved. How often do doors get slammed by kids? ALL THE TIME, it was just unlucky that this girl was hurt this time. I don't agree with her slamming the door and if she tried to slam doors here at home she would be in trouble, but the fact is kids slam doors. It's a way of showing frustration, which is usually harmless.
My concern is that the other parents will end up suing us. I don't have money to pay for medical expenses let alone court fees. Why are people so sue happy here? Why can't they see that their child might have been as much to blame for the circumstances behind the accident and just deal with it. Why does it always have to go further and point fingers and make life hard. Now if I thought that she had hurt this girl or anyone on purpose then I would definitely pay, I wouldn't even wait to be asked, I would offer to pay. But this was an accident.
Why can't life just be easy? Why can't we all get along?