You've been X'd...

Gosh, when I signed on the dotted line for this motherhood gig no one told me that the old saying (which goes something like this) that once you have kids, you will walk around with your heart outside your body would actually be true.

After talking to my son the other day, I found out that he has been X'd out at recess by another boy. Don't know what being X'd out means? Basically, it is the beginning of his life lesson about being excluded. Turns out that this other boy, let's just call him J, decides what kids get to play at recess and what kids do not. WHAT??? As Bobby described what happened, it was like a bad nightmare, I started feeling so angry at this kid I wanted to go give him a good ol' school yard pummeling. OK, take a deep breath, I only mean that metaphorically....but metaphorically speaking it would have been one serious pummeling. I tried to tell Bobby that it did not matter, go find other kids to play with but then I felt that rage again. This was not a case of some kind of game of elimination, like capture the flag or any other numerous games. This was pure and simple bullying. I will control what happens here and who gets to play.

This has been the story with J since Kindergarten. During "Open House" kindergarten year, the teacher had the kids draw pictures of a fall scene. Most pictures depicted a scene of a stick figure jumping in the leaves, apple trees, and horse wagons. J's picture was of a stick figure holding a gun shooting at a bird in the sky and two bloody ducks on the ground. No one in my family hunts, although I do understand to a certain degree the interest in the hunt. But, really, a kindergartener draws this?? I was a chaperon on a few field trips and so was J's mother. This kid would talk to her with such rude and fowl language it choked me and what was the mothers reaction...laughter and a roll of the eyes.

I know, I know...I can only teach Bobby how to deal with people like this but it breaks my heart that it has started at 7 y.o.

Hey, J...I have just X'd you out of my son's life...OK, now I'll go back to being a 40 y.o. mature adult.

May we never forget...

My prayers go out the families who lost love ones and also for those who survived... May we never forget... Blessings to all. May your hope be restored, for God is faithful and cares for you.