Tuesday, August 14, 2007
School of Hard Knocks
(Post from deleted blog)
Yesterday was the first day of school for most of the kids in our county. As I mentioned before, the kindergartners did not begin with the rest of the students. Our principal, however, made sure that the kindergarten children had a special day as well. Mrs. Principal wrote a letter to the kindergarten students and had parent volunteers drive to all the kindergartners' homes. They attached the letter with a helium balloon to the students' mailboxes.
Around noon, I noticed that my Favorite Boy's balloon was on our mailbox, so I encouraged him to go outside with me. As we walked to the mailbox, he wondered, "What is that?" I took the balloon and note off the mailbox and explained what they were. He was ecstatic. I said, "Let's go inside and take a picture of you with your kindergarten balloon." Without breathing, he said, "Yes! And let's attach it to my bed so I can see it all the time and I can't wait to show dad and I can't believe I got a letter from the president!" (He meant the principal, of course.)
Then he entered the school of hard knocks.
All of a sudden, his balloon popped. I don't know why; the only explanation I could fathom was that the 100+ degree heat caused it. Immediately, my Favorite Boy burst into tears. I thought the unexpected, loud noise scared him, so I asked him if he was alright. He replied, "No! That was my kindergarten balloon, and now it is gone!" My heart broke for him. I wanted to fix it, but I couldn't. He was right. It was his special kindergarten balloon, and he would never have another one. I wanted to cry too!
As unhappy as he was, he got over it. He mentioned it several times during the day, but his tears disappeared. After all, it was only a balloon. In the grand scheme of life, the balloon really didn't matter all that much. Unfortunately, he will face many more disappointments in the years to come, and some of them will matter much more than his balloon. When he deals with these disappointments, I hope the lessons he learned yesterday will serve him well. Sometimes bad things happen, even when you have done nothing wrong. Sometimes bad things happen, and Mom and Dad can't fix them. Sometimes bad things happen, and you just have to get over them.
One day, he will also grow up and realize that there is something much worse than dealing with your own hard knocks. Lord willing, one day he will grow up and have children of his own. Then, he will learn what all moms and dads know. Watching your children face disappointments is one of the toughest courses of all. I know I need a school to teach me how to deal with that!
Yesterday was the first day of school for most of the kids in our county. As I mentioned before, the kindergartners did not begin with the rest of the students. Our principal, however, made sure that the kindergarten children had a special day as well. Mrs. Principal wrote a letter to the kindergarten students and had parent volunteers drive to all the kindergartners' homes. They attached the letter with a helium balloon to the students' mailboxes.
Around noon, I noticed that my Favorite Boy's balloon was on our mailbox, so I encouraged him to go outside with me. As we walked to the mailbox, he wondered, "What is that?" I took the balloon and note off the mailbox and explained what they were. He was ecstatic. I said, "Let's go inside and take a picture of you with your kindergarten balloon." Without breathing, he said, "Yes! And let's attach it to my bed so I can see it all the time and I can't wait to show dad and I can't believe I got a letter from the president!" (He meant the principal, of course.)
Then he entered the school of hard knocks.
All of a sudden, his balloon popped. I don't know why; the only explanation I could fathom was that the 100+ degree heat caused it. Immediately, my Favorite Boy burst into tears. I thought the unexpected, loud noise scared him, so I asked him if he was alright. He replied, "No! That was my kindergarten balloon, and now it is gone!" My heart broke for him. I wanted to fix it, but I couldn't. He was right. It was his special kindergarten balloon, and he would never have another one. I wanted to cry too!
As unhappy as he was, he got over it. He mentioned it several times during the day, but his tears disappeared. After all, it was only a balloon. In the grand scheme of life, the balloon really didn't matter all that much. Unfortunately, he will face many more disappointments in the years to come, and some of them will matter much more than his balloon. When he deals with these disappointments, I hope the lessons he learned yesterday will serve him well. Sometimes bad things happen, even when you have done nothing wrong. Sometimes bad things happen, and Mom and Dad can't fix them. Sometimes bad things happen, and you just have to get over them.
One day, he will also grow up and realize that there is something much worse than dealing with your own hard knocks. Lord willing, one day he will grow up and have children of his own. Then, he will learn what all moms and dads know. Watching your children face disappointments is one of the toughest courses of all. I know I need a school to teach me how to deal with that!
Labels: My Favorite Boy
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