PUSH, PUSH, PUSH…Sometimes It’s What You Have To Do!
Oh Friday, what a day.
My kids and I began the morning with our meditation and mantra’s. After we were done everyone went their separate way to get ready for their scouts meeting with our homeschool group.I was still not as settled as I would have like to have been. I had a lot on my mind and the week had already been a very busy one for me. Before Hubby left for work we talked for a little. This is always a soothing time for me. He encouraged me, poured his love into me and left for work. I sat on my bed and didn’t move. The thoughts rolling around in my head were mixed with positives and negatives. He couldn’t remove those negatives for me, I had to. So, I got up, put one foot in front of the other and the kids and I were on our way.
Push, Push, Push….those were the words I kept telling myself.
This was the first scouts meeting of our group and I was to teach the first class. This is our homeschool groups rendition of the boys and girls scouts. I think it’s pretty cool to be able to give our kids this opportunity and experience. I volunteered to teach the class on bullying, peer pressure, and self-esteem. Right up my alley, right? Well why was I such a nervous wreck about it then? I was nervous and had to get over and on with it. My kids even noticed my disposition and asked me if I was ok. They also offered words of encouragement.
I hadn’t “taught” a class of children in awhile. Teaching my own children is one thing so not to confuse the two. Also, I wasn’t sure how many children would be there and we weren’t sure of the ages. I’m used to teaching groups in specific ages, with specific messages which makes lesson planning a lot easier. So with the uncertainty under my foot, looped with massive doses of encouragement from my family, I was of.
I got there a whole half an hour early so that I would have enough time to prepare the room and atmosphere. As we were approaching the front door we noticed people standing outside. It wasn’t opened yet. Huh? That’s weird. I’m supposed to be meeting other moms here who were supposed to be inside already so how could it not be opened as yet? I go back to my car, pull up the info on my phone and what do you know,…I’m at the wrong place. I plug in the correct address and my GPS says that it’s another half hour away!! Ok, don’t panic. What do I do? So my kids look at me and say, Mommy, you can make it, let's go. Ugh! Can I pahleez bitch and moan right now? I already drove a half and hour to get here. I do not want to drive that far away. Oh, well. Back on the road again, all the way to Douglasville, Ga. Douglasville, Ga is an hour and twenty minutes away from my home!
I get there at exactly the time we were supposed to start. I rearranged the chairs to my liking, took some deep breathes and dove right in. According to my kids, I did grrrrreat! I love their support! The other kids enjoyed themselves as well. I saw plenty smiles, giggles and got a large amount of participation. I was very happy to see that. The ages ranged from one to eleven, not a bad age range at all. It was great. I know they got the message. I know they’ll stop and think twice about bullying, being bullied and how to handle themselves if ever in that situation. They enjoyed the skits I came up with in order to drive the point home, everyone was much involved. And I know they especially enjoyed the fact that this is their first scouts class!!
Last night on a 48 Hour CBS special the topic was Bullying…Words Can Kill. How appropriate was it for them to catch that show with me and see how bullying affects children who go to school. The things we heard and saw were unbelievably sad. To see what kids are going through these days is disheartening to say the least.
Bullying.....lucky you can home school your children. :) Trust me, bullying is no joke....my daughter is in a Chicago Catholic school, and we have problems with it as bad as any public here.
ReplyDeleteNice blog, btw. :)
-Laura
http://planetbarberella.blogspot.com/
Laura ~ This shit is CRAZY!! Kids are killing themselves over this. Did you look at the video? It was a clip of the show. If you haven't seen it, I don't know how easy it is to get it but it would be worth it.
ReplyDeleteI hope things will get better for your daughter.
She manages pretty well. She's never been much of a target, as she was a starter on all the same teams that the worst bullies play on, and they needed her to win. This year she made the call to go play on travel teams, and not for her school: Lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, and basketball. She just decided she wanted no connection with those girls, especially if the school wasn't handling it properly. Our school is pretty diverse, but the lion's share of the bullying was coming from Caucasian girls, and directed at Hispanic and African-American girls....a bad scene, but the girls getting picked on grouped together (with my daughter, myself, and some other parents), stood up to the girls and their respective parents. We went to the administration, threatened to bring in the Archdiocese of Chicago....it worked...things have gotten better. Too late for my 7th grader, though...she cut her losses and turned to her real, trusted friends in the neighborhood. A real shame, but a lesson learned, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteBarberella ~ I would definitely like to be on your team. If only this would happen often, where parents stand up and take back their right to send their child to school where they won't ever be subjected to bullying. Bullying has taken in a whole new face since I was in school. The most that ever happened was someone got their hair pulled or beaten up, death was unheard of.
ReplyDeleteBut there us one fact that remains true, it doesn't matter if you go to school, are homeschooled, taught in a one room school house with just one other student, bullying is everywhere and we all have to deal with it at some point. Having someone to talk to and help makes dealing with it so much easier.