The Young and the Restless

Monday, September 24, 2018

Sometimes it's hard

The week before school started we got the email with the teacher assignments. Immediately every mom gets on their phones and starts group texts to see if their kids got the same teacher. One by one, every one of Ryder's friend's moms text with exclamation points that they got in the same class! And one by one every one of Maddox's friend's moms text back that they are in Ms Decarlo's class. And Maddox is not. Ms Decarlo is the one teacher he wanted and to have, and all of his friends were put together in the same class with the teacher he wanted. It was like a punch in the gut. It was more than he could handle. We were at Tyson and Dawn's for dinner with Todd and Mady when all the texts were coming in. We just excused ourselves to their den where I sat on the couch holding a brokenhearted boy who was crying so hard he was shaking as he soaked my shirt in his tears. Growing up we all experienced heart ache, but I can testify that no amount of pain and loneliness I felt growing up could even compare to the physical pain I felt in my heart for him. Making friends doesn't always come as easy for him and he has struggled the last few years with feeling like he has no friends. Of all the kids he was the one I was the most worried about this year. I knew I had to think of something to help, since home school was the only viable option in his mind. I said a quick prayer in my heart and the idea came to me to have a back to school party. I told him that he could invite all the boys from his class and it would be a good opportunity for him to meet new friends. It was literally divine inspiration. It helped get him out of his funk as he got excited to help plan the party and pass out invitations. The evening of the party came and our house was filled with the sweetest little 4th graders. They all wanted to be Maddox's friend. Several of the moms commented to me when they dropped their boys off that this was their first year at the school, or that their son was also struggling to make friends and this was the perfect way for them to connect. I was also able to exchange numbers with the moms to set up future play dates (or "hang outs" because 4th graders don't "play"). It was the beginning of some great new friendships. Maddox had told me earlier that he had prayed all summer long that he would be in the same class with his friends, and he didn't know why his prayer wasn't answered. I was able to look him in the eye and tell him without a doubt that his prayer had been answered. It wasn't answered in the way he wanted, but his Heavenly Father was aware of him and answered his prayer in the way that He knew was best. If he had been put with his other friends he would have missed out on this opportunity to grow and make so many new friends. He still reminds me every day that he doesn't like his teacher and wishes he had Ms Decarlo, but you can't win them all. At least for now he comes home happy, and for that I am so grateful.