they see a problem child.
they see you picking on Jimmy,
and spitting on Sally.
they see you yelling and screaming,
whining and fighting.
they get angry when you curse
and call you trouble.
i see your bruises,
one right above your ankle,
and one right next to your elbow;
the ones your mother gave you.
i see the fear in your eyes,
and the saddness in your heart.
i see how much you longed to be loved,
long to be held.
i smile when you yell,
i smile when you fight.
because then i know you have emotion.
because then i know you believe you deserve better.
they believe what they see.
they see you do wrong.
i see what i believe.
i believe you'll get through this.
i believe you'll grow up just fine.
i work with kids, and let me be the 1,000,000,00th person to tell you that the toughest kids to deal with are the "problem children." They yell, they scream, they pout, they argue, they kick, they fidget, they punch; you get the picture. But after being able to actually GET TO KNOW these kids, and get to know what they have to deal with outside of school on a constant basis, i can't help but shake my head in sadness. At work a couple months ago, i had to "punish" a little boy whose mother had recently passed away, i figured, just because he's going through things doesn't mean he can be as disruptive as he pleases. BAD MOVE. He went on to reciting his usual cry of "everyone hates me! i hate it here! i hate it! and YOU'RE MEAN!".. it's amazing how those simple words nearly broke my heart. I found my eyes getting misty and i sat down with him. i said, "Being mean to you is the LAST thing i want to do. And i certainly don't hate you. It really hurts me that you think i'm being mean to you. I really care about you, and i just need you to understand that it's not okay to be jumping around when i tell you to sit down." I smiled at him and kept telling him that i care about him, and want him to be the "awesome kid i know he can be"..and it totally made him smile and forget about it all. Whew. Some of these kids lives are 100 times worse than my own,and, even though they can be a pain and disrupt the whole class, i'm doing my best to try and accept them and the way they behave... i want THEM to be my main focus, because, now i see that THEY are the ones who need it MOST. They cry because they hurt. They yell because they're angry. They kick because they're confused. I no longer look at "trouble" only as "problems," i sometimes look at it as a cry for help. these kids need love. they need compassion. they need a sense of understanding; they need to hear that they're wanted, and that it'll be okay.
and then again, sometimes kids are just plain brats. =]
...so anyway... applying this to the "world of big people" rather than just elementary school days... i think that our society would completely benefit from the act of understanding. We, as adults, need to be aware of the fact that people have problems. People have bad days. People have tough lives. That guy does every drug imaginable down the street does it because he has so many problems that he CAN'T HANDLE reality and thus feels the need to ESCAPE IT; you calling him a "good for nothing piece of sh*t" isn't going to make him feel any better, neither is the dirty stare that silently tells him he's a menace to society and were better off dead. A smile's what might help.
I challenge you to smile at the next person you get mad at.
Remember: people take their anger out in stupid ways. The guy who cut you off this morning might have just filed for divorce. The woman at McDonald's who gave you a dirty look and half pushed you on the way out might be the person who has to go home to an empty house each night. Love these people. People need love. People who don't show love are the people that need it most.
now, i don't mean to get all biblical on you or anything... but i don't think anything can say it better than this:
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
this world could use a little more love. <3
they see you picking on Jimmy,
and spitting on Sally.
they see you yelling and screaming,
whining and fighting.
they get angry when you curse
and call you trouble.
i see your bruises,
one right above your ankle,
and one right next to your elbow;
the ones your mother gave you.
i see the fear in your eyes,
and the saddness in your heart.
i see how much you longed to be loved,
long to be held.
i smile when you yell,
i smile when you fight.
because then i know you have emotion.
because then i know you believe you deserve better.
they believe what they see.
they see you do wrong.
i see what i believe.
i believe you'll get through this.
i believe you'll grow up just fine.
i work with kids, and let me be the 1,000,000,00th person to tell you that the toughest kids to deal with are the "problem children." They yell, they scream, they pout, they argue, they kick, they fidget, they punch; you get the picture. But after being able to actually GET TO KNOW these kids, and get to know what they have to deal with outside of school on a constant basis, i can't help but shake my head in sadness. At work a couple months ago, i had to "punish" a little boy whose mother had recently passed away, i figured, just because he's going through things doesn't mean he can be as disruptive as he pleases. BAD MOVE. He went on to reciting his usual cry of "everyone hates me! i hate it here! i hate it! and YOU'RE MEAN!".. it's amazing how those simple words nearly broke my heart. I found my eyes getting misty and i sat down with him. i said, "Being mean to you is the LAST thing i want to do. And i certainly don't hate you. It really hurts me that you think i'm being mean to you. I really care about you, and i just need you to understand that it's not okay to be jumping around when i tell you to sit down." I smiled at him and kept telling him that i care about him, and want him to be the "awesome kid i know he can be"..and it totally made him smile and forget about it all. Whew. Some of these kids lives are 100 times worse than my own,and, even though they can be a pain and disrupt the whole class, i'm doing my best to try and accept them and the way they behave... i want THEM to be my main focus, because, now i see that THEY are the ones who need it MOST. They cry because they hurt. They yell because they're angry. They kick because they're confused. I no longer look at "trouble" only as "problems," i sometimes look at it as a cry for help. these kids need love. they need compassion. they need a sense of understanding; they need to hear that they're wanted, and that it'll be okay.
and then again, sometimes kids are just plain brats. =]
...so anyway... applying this to the "world of big people" rather than just elementary school days... i think that our society would completely benefit from the act of understanding. We, as adults, need to be aware of the fact that people have problems. People have bad days. People have tough lives. That guy does every drug imaginable down the street does it because he has so many problems that he CAN'T HANDLE reality and thus feels the need to ESCAPE IT; you calling him a "good for nothing piece of sh*t" isn't going to make him feel any better, neither is the dirty stare that silently tells him he's a menace to society and were better off dead. A smile's what might help.
I challenge you to smile at the next person you get mad at.
Remember: people take their anger out in stupid ways. The guy who cut you off this morning might have just filed for divorce. The woman at McDonald's who gave you a dirty look and half pushed you on the way out might be the person who has to go home to an empty house each night. Love these people. People need love. People who don't show love are the people that need it most.
now, i don't mean to get all biblical on you or anything... but i don't think anything can say it better than this:
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
this world could use a little more love. <3
2 comments:
Crystal,
Thank you for your wisdom. I often react negatively to those who act negative towards me. I need to re-member these "problem people" and their circumstances. Negativity is so contagious. It is so hard to react to negativity with love and understanding. Thank you for reminding me.
thank you mr.H =]
Post a Comment