Children Should be Treasured

You know as a mother there are certain expectations one is driven towards to succeed. When you first realize you are about to become a Mother, through birth, adoption, or marriage, you understand the enormity of this duty. I read as many blogs, books, parenting tips that I could find, I spoke to other new Mom's, my Mom and still the challenge seemed quite daunting; and then I met my boy. The moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could do this and that I loved him more than I ever thought I was capable of.

As your children grow you are forced into entrusting others with this enormous task of helping you to raise them by extension, first you let your partner spread their wings, and slowly you accept close family or friends, perhaps even a babysitter. Then the plunge through into daycare, school, Sunday school and even vacation bible school. You are again forced to entrust the safety and security of your child to another. Most of the time your child has a blast, they learn, grow and expand their horizons. Then there are the moments when others let you down. You know your child like the back of your hand, and you realize they are obstinate, unpredictable, and at times a pain; but you also know the tenderness and sincerity that they have inside of them. You know the triggers that turn an otherwise calm child into an aggressively frustrated puddle on the floor. You also have learned how to work through those moments and avoid a meltdown.

I have for the past four years been secluded in a bubble of optimistic hope; I realized recently that not all people are as sincerely adept for child rearing or even being stewards of good faith to children. Not every child is seen for their individual self or in the context of the moment. Children are our future; they are our present, and they are someone's entire world. Children are young, unaware of complexities, they make mistakes, they are stubborn and impulsive, but they are still learning. It is our job as Adults to set an example, pursue excellence and have the courage to admit when we are wrong. It is our duty to nourish their minds, guide their hearts, and inspire their dreams.

To the lady that disregarded my four-year-old and told me he probably should not come back to Vacation Bible School, I realize now that my timidness and exasperation were normal and should have been more vociferous, but perhaps my gut saved me from using poor English skills in the Lords house. I realize you probably have never had to "deal" with so many children, and perhaps your kids were perfect angels, but trust me when I say my child and every child in that classroom deserves respect, they are God's children first and foremost. When I became a parent, my love was boundless, but I also realized that I am only a steward raising God's children for his glory. Nevertheless,  I will be the first to admit my child is rarely an angel, but he is my whole world, he is the first thing I think about every morning and every night before I go to bed. My son is my happy thought when times are hard, he is the motivation to strive for better things, and he is my constant reminder of how fragile life is to each of us.

You chose to react in a way that served no one. You did not try to reason with my child; you did not try to understand that perhaps he was frustrated and did not know how to express or articulate those feelings. You did not give him the opportunity to turn it around by giving him a time out, you sent him away, you took a teaching moment away from my son because you chose not to be bothered by him. You looked at him in my presence with disgust. To be honest, it took a lot of self-control for me not to smack your exasperated face. Now, I would usually never resolve to physical violence, but this is the closest I've come since I was in middle school.

Most disheartening was the fact that you sent a child away from an environment to learn about our God. Thankfully my child is taught at home about Jesus; we pray as a family, and he prays on his own, we talk about heaven and about striving to be kind and good like Christ. But what if the child was from a faithless home. You need to consider seriously the devastating consequences of missing an opportunity, even
at such a young age, of sharing the gospel. I was baptized when I was just five years old. Age is just a number, maturity is another, and you dear need to think outside the box and look beyond the "frustrating and chaotic moments" and look to each child's future.

It is my sincere hope that a lesson is learned through this experience. I wish everyone realized the importance of every child and more importantly made it their mission to make all the children they come into contact with to feel as if they are the most important part of their day. Not every child is perfect, they make mistakes, they are impulsive, but they are learning, give each child a chance for a rebound because a comeback is worthwhile.