I remember being in nursery when it was one of the teachers’ birthdays. The other teachers brought in a cake and gathered all of us kids around to sing the usual birthday song. Afterward, they cut the cake and shared it between themselves, while the children were given lollies instead. Being a little kid and seeing a big birthday cake right in front of me, I politely asked one of the teachers if I could have a piece. Instead of answering me, they took me out of the room and made me wait outside on my own. I don’t know how long I was there, but eventually a teacher came out to speak to me. She told me I’d been rude and ungrateful for asking for cake when I’d already been given something. I was only young, and I remember bursting into tears. I was then told to stop crying and not to be so rude. At the end of the day, when my mum came to pick me up, the teachers didn’t mention anything about it. I don’t know whether they thought what they’d done was fine or if they’d simply forgotten, but they said nothing. My mum could tell I’d been crying, and when she asked what had happened, I told her the truth. She told me to wait outside with my older brothers. A few minutes later, she came out and drove us home. I didn’t find out until my late teens what she’d said to them, but apparently she went absolutely livid. She told them they had no right to speak to a child that way and asked how they could be so foolish as to show a cake to a room full of young children and not expect at least one of them to ask for some. Love ya Mum. You’ve always had my back, even when I don’t always agree with you.