Dear Prudence,
I teach kindergarten, and “Dean,” the son of two of my friends, “Belinda” and “Don,” is among my students. During a recent classroom activity, Dean said something that has me a bit concerned about his home life.
My sister took a trip to Europe a couple of weeks ago and brought back some small tins of hard candies from the country she visited for my students. I distributed the candies for an activity in which the kids would taste each color and see if they could name the flavor. When we got to the honey-flavored one, no one knew what it was, so I gave them a hint by saying that bees made it. After I still didn’t get an answer, I told them it was something their mommy calls their daddy. That’s when Dean shouted, “Spit it out! It’s an asshole!” I quickly changed the subject.
Belinda and Don have always seemed like they have a great marriage; our entire social group says it’s what everyone is aiming for in theirs. Should I tell Belinda what Dean said and ask if everything is all right between her and Don, or do I just pretend the candy episode never happened?