I'm A Trouble Maker

I’ve got a kiddo issue on my mind. In the most broad way of describing I’ll say that I just don’t understand what is so hard about teaching your children right from wrong and raising your children to be good people. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am NOT saying parenthood is easy. It isn’t. It’s a challenge, a struggle sometimes, and it’s a balancing act. Completely. I know that. And I’m not even touching pregnancy and infancy as we all know how much I LOVED that with JP (sarcasm font here). I’m talking over all parenthood and raising our kiddos.

Our kiddos know right from wrong. But we never SAT DOWN with them to say here’s a list, this is the right, this is the wrong. There isn’t a list, that I’m aware of anyway. I hate to say it came natural for us, but I think it kinda did. It wasn’t difficult to show them by example, to teach them (and continue teaching them). Looking back I just think it happened.

What confuses me is how it’s not standard. It’s not a priority for some parents. Or it isn’t even thought of by them. How are your kids going to function in society? How ARE they functioning? Not knowing right from wrong, not knowing how to interact with others, not respecting authority, not behaving in an acceptable manner just causes more and more problems. And it won’t stop. It will continue.

Now, even forgetting about the other children in the classroom a behavior like this affects, what about the trouble maker child themselves? If a child becomes such an issue that they have to be removed from a classroom repeatedly, what kind of an education are they getting? What kind of focus do they have?

And, more importantly, what do we do now to solve this? Because it's keeping me up at night. :(

Challenge

Dear Howard,

                I sat down this afternoon to write you a simple Thank You for the last three months of classes. Somehow, that doesn’t explain it. Simple is far from what this involved. 

               I’m not referring to the exercises, albeit, they were not simple. But more the mental and emotional investment an undertaking like me involves. 

                I’m not a confident woman, not an overly outspoken woman. I can be very shy and reserved. And most times I am negative about myself. I always have been. But somehow you trudged through knowing most of this and carried on pushing and pushing me. My excuses were not accepted but rather than scold me you encouraged me and motivated me to continue on and do better. 

                You had faith in me when I didn’t have any myself. You showed me that I have strength I didn’t know I had. You forced me to be courageous in times I thought I would fail and to be stable in those moments I would lose my balance, figuratively and literally. 

                I cannot even begin to put into just a few words what the last three months has done for me. I’ve met new friends and strengthened old ones. I’ve gained confidence in myself that even follows me to work.  I’ve felt more capable of physically doing things. And I have glowed in the compliments I have received from the people that see me daily on my journey. 

                Howard, for all of this and so very much more, I thank you. Not a Thank You that this is even close to being complete, but rather a Thank You for just getting started! 

                THANK YOU. 

                jul