Motherhood Made a Man out of Me. Well, not really, but I thought it was a clever title so I checked the novel out of the library this week. I'll let you know if it's any good.
Recently in my neighborhood mom's group, we've been talking a lot about wanting to protect our children. One mother saw a group of teenagers make fun of the way her 8 year old walked on his way to school one morning. Luckily he didn't notice the teenagers, but she was livid that the teenagers would be so heartless. Another mom was upset because some older children told her preschooler that he was a baby and that they didn't play with little boys like him.
Every mother has had that heart-breaking moment when you see your child being put down by another child. I know it's happened with John several times. I wanted to just reach out and grab that little boy and say "Be nice. He's a really great little guy. I know you'd really like him." I just wanted to protect him. I didn't want him to experience the pain of not being cool enough, of not being accepted, of not fitting in. But no matter how much you wish it, you can't keep your child from being a part of our world. And, unfortunately, part of being part of our world is dealing with people who aren't always nice.
So when those moments happen, I remind myself that I can't control what other children do or say. What I can do is teach my boys how to be kind and caring, how to treat others with respect. What I can do is work to give my boys the confidence to know that it's okay, that it's not the end of the world if someone doesn't want to play with you, that they are still great people no matter what.
It reminded me of a Top Ten Tuesday post from November 6, 2007. So this week's Top Ten Tuesday post is a reprint of that one.
Top Ten Things I Hope for My Children
10. I hope they will be financially responsible.
9. I hope they will have a good work ethic.
8. I hope they will find a career that they are passionate about and truly enjoy.
7. I hope they will enjoy nature, books, time with their family, music and crafts.
6. I hope they will be more athletic than me or at least not as scared to try.
5. I hope they will find true love.
4. I hope they will grow up to be confident in themselves.
3. I hope they will grow up to be both caring and kind.
2. I hope they will always treat others with respect.
1. I hope they will always know how very loved they are.
3 comments:
Our elementary school teaches kids a series of steps for dealing with bullies. Step one is to look them in the eye, tell them you don't like what they are doing, and ask them to stop. You'd be amazed how often that works.
Cat actually comforted me after a particularly mean senior in the marching band made me cry.
I don't know if she remembers, but I'll never forget :)
I think in cases like this, peers more than parents are the most effective defense. All you can really do is raise your kids right and trust that they'll do the right thing.
what a sweet post, haley. your boys are lucky to have such a wonderful mom!
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