Bragging on My Girl

                                 

I came to pick up my 2nd grader from Latchkey the other day and she was so pleased to see me. We hugged and she went to say goodbye to her friends and gather her book bag and the teacher pulled me aside and said, "I need to talk to you about something that happened yesterday." Good God, what did she do? I was feeling very nervous because my child is a little unpredictable. She is a good girl but she can say some outrageous things and she speaks her mind. I was waiting to hear what inappropriate thing she blurted out to the rest of the class.

Instead her teacher said this, "We got a new student who has Down Syndrome and I was nervous about how the kids would react. Your daughter really took her under her wing. She introduced herself right away and made it a point to play with her and include her with the other friends. She really has a big heart." That made my heart smile to hear that.

In the car the kids chattered about their week and she told me about her new friend. "Mom, I have a new friend and her name is E. She is different because God made her special. She is funny and really good at foosball. She kept beating me!"

I can say for certain that my kids are sweet and wonderful. I was so glad that she made an effort to include this little girl and make her feel welcome. I think she would have done so regardless. She is kind and it gives me a sense of peace to know that the things I have been telling her do not just go in one ear and out the other. Be kind to others, never exclude others, be a good friend, that some people were made special that's a great thing - how boring the world would be if we were all the same! I hope she always carries those things with her. It will serve her well in life. I may not be the most stellar parent on the planet. I might let my kids eat ice cream before dinner and I may scream at them like a crazy person and forget to schedule their dentist appointment and make them wear clothes from consignment stores. But I am doing a good job where it counts. My kids are GOOD people.

I felt bad that I assumed that her teacher was about to say something bad about her. She isn't always an easy child and we certainly have our challenges. She isn't like all other kids- God made her special too and I wouldn't have it any other way.