Prayer

There's a boy at Kael's school who is not very kind.  Specifically, he's not very kind to Kael.  I have spoken with teachers, the guidance counselor, other parents and generally anyone who might have some suggestions of what I can say to Kael to make him feel better and understand that it's not his fault the other boy treats him so poorly.
I pray a lot for Kael.  I pray that he get through the school day without having mean things said to him.  I pray that Kael has the strength to ignore the other boy.  I pray that Kael continues to not fight back by saying mean things in return.  I pray that he finds at least one close friend who understands him.

Sometimes it makes me sad, this world we live in and that kids like Kael who have the kindest heart are often the ones who are taken advantage of.  Last night was one of those nights that it made me sad.  I laid in bed, tears flowing (thanks, pregnancy hormones) and I just couldn't sleep.  I went in Kael's room to watch him sleep and then it hit me.  Kael's ok, Laura. He's got a million people who think he's the greatest kid in the world.  He's got so many people who love him and support him......pray for the other one. Pray for the one who's mean to Kael.  Chances are he doesn't have as much love in his life as Kael does.

So I did.  The next day I picked Kael up from school and he was the first kid out the door.  "Wow you must be in a good mood today!" I noted. "Yeah, Mom.  You'll never guess what! The one who's usually mean to me, you know who I'm talking about? Well, today he wasn't mean to me at all and he even gave me a pencil!"

For those of you unfamiliar with first grade social laws, the giving/receiving of a pencil is kind of a big deal.  At the beginning of the year kids were all supposed to be using the standard yellow number two pencils and slowly, kids started bringing other "cooler" pencils from home.  If someone gives you such a pencil, well, it speaks volumes about what that person really thinks of you. :)