Tuesday, July 10, 2007
What Would You Do?
What would you do if you got an e-mail like this? It's somebody you don't know. How would you honestly react? Just wondering . . .
"Was your childhood painful or pleasurable? Were you left out or popular? Were you bullied or were you the bully? Did you make other kids laugh? Were you included or alienated? What role were you assigned when you were a child because these memories matter.
Some children are shy. Some children are gloriously outgoing. Some are quirky and some are charming. There are the leaders and there are the followers. There are the homecoming queens and the football heros and then there are the not so popular nerds and geeks. When it comes to socializing some children are like well oiled cogs in a smooth running machine and then there are those who are the square pegs that don’t fit into the round holes. In this big, wonderful world full of variety and differences this is to be expected. All children will not get along, all children will not like each other, and all children will not be "best friends."
It is our job as parents to validate these feelings, to let our children know how to properly embrace the differences of the world. However, it is our DUTY to explain to our children how to act upon these feelings. It is our job as parents to give our children the tools needed to know the difference between a feeling and an action, "It’s okay, little Stevie, if you don’t like little Bucky, but it’s not okay to hit him or call him weird because you don’t like him." It is our job as parents to teach our children how to come from a place of fairness and kindness, to teach our children how NOT to bully, ostracize, name call, or hit. It is our job as parents to teach our children the golden rule: "Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated."
We’ll keep trying our best to implement these rules of thumb in our home and it is my wish that you will too. Hopefully, by trial and error and some mistakes along the way, we will all raise fair, kind and honorable young men.
Thank you."
"Was your childhood painful or pleasurable? Were you left out or popular? Were you bullied or were you the bully? Did you make other kids laugh? Were you included or alienated? What role were you assigned when you were a child because these memories matter.
Some children are shy. Some children are gloriously outgoing. Some are quirky and some are charming. There are the leaders and there are the followers. There are the homecoming queens and the football heros and then there are the not so popular nerds and geeks. When it comes to socializing some children are like well oiled cogs in a smooth running machine and then there are those who are the square pegs that don’t fit into the round holes. In this big, wonderful world full of variety and differences this is to be expected. All children will not get along, all children will not like each other, and all children will not be "best friends."
It is our job as parents to validate these feelings, to let our children know how to properly embrace the differences of the world. However, it is our DUTY to explain to our children how to act upon these feelings. It is our job as parents to give our children the tools needed to know the difference between a feeling and an action, "It’s okay, little Stevie, if you don’t like little Bucky, but it’s not okay to hit him or call him weird because you don’t like him." It is our job as parents to teach our children how to come from a place of fairness and kindness, to teach our children how NOT to bully, ostracize, name call, or hit. It is our job as parents to teach our children the golden rule: "Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated."
We’ll keep trying our best to implement these rules of thumb in our home and it is my wish that you will too. Hopefully, by trial and error and some mistakes along the way, we will all raise fair, kind and honorable young men.
Thank you."
# posted by Loralee @ 2:10 PM 
Comments:
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Hmmm. I don't know what I would think about that. Since I am such a freaking pessimist I would think that the person who sent it to me was judging my parenting and then I would probably stew WAY too long about it and consume copious amounts of bad food along the way.
Few are this dramatic, though. :)
Few are this dramatic, though. :)
If this is from someone you don't know...just delete it. There are all kinds of weirdos out there...
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