Sad Underwear
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Someone with sad underwear.
Sad underwear? How can that be?
When my best friend's mad at me,
Everything is sad.
Even my underwear.
From "Sad Underwear and Other Complications" by Judith Viorst
Serena's "friend" called her a liar yesterday. She's really pushing buttons because Serena is no longer reacting the way she wants her to. I feel for her. She's doing an "adult" job in a kids world. She may as well learn now how to deal with manipulators and controllers, because kids like that grow up to be controlling adults too. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against this little girl. I feel for her too. We have prayed a lot for this situation and for the girl too. It's just that I can't allow her to treat Serena badly anymore. Serena has trouble sleeping at night and doesn't want to go to school. They've had a sub for several months now, and it has been stressful not having her teacher there. Serena's the type of kid who wears her heart on her sleeve. She's always been alert, aware, thoughtful, considerate, and very caring. A tender heart. People like that tend to feel things more deeply than others. When she loves you, she loves you for always! When you hurt her, it hurts very deeply.
She always tries to see the good in people, and what a trait that is for such a young kid. I've often thought of her as an old soul, and I can see where that hurts her in life right now. Most kids put themselves first. Because that isn't her nature, she gets stepped on and taken advantage of. Now, understand this. My daughter is nine. She has faults like every other kid, and she's far from perfect. However, I think too many parents spend too much time talking about the negative traits in their kids and not shining the light on the positive ones. We can be better parents by focusing on their strengths. It's just that her strength is causing her grief right now, and it hurts mom too. :(
I protect my kids, but I also allow them to go through things to strengthen them. I try to show them how to stand on their own. I can't be there to do it for them, and it wouldn't be good if I tried. I can't bail her out of this. I won't call the girl's mom and discuss it with her like some do (good grief), and I won't reject the girl either. I will just keep pointing Serena in the right direction, praise her for a job well done, and hug her when she cries.
It's a hard lesson to learn, but sometimes when a friendship begins to harm, it's time to move on. If that friend comes back to you, you will love that friend even more. If they don't, then God will bring you another one.
Have a blessed day, my friends, and pray for the parents in this world. We could really use it!
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