“‘Mom, I just hate school.’
It was like a punch in the gut for this teacher.
My sweet boy getting ready for school to start and was echoing what he’s said for days.
‘I hate school.’
Ugh.
See, he really just wants to play.
To build LEGOs and forts.
To hang with his brother and cousin, who are his BFFs.
To crawl into a lap and read a book.
To swim in the pool for hours on end.
Free range is his jam, and school..well, it isn’t free range.
And I loved every minute of the order and routine of the classroom when I was his age.
I remember squirming with actual joy the night before school started, I just couldn’t wait to go back and practice my cursive and read tons of books.
But this kid is not me.
He loves his teachers and his friends and visiting his Auntie Nicki who works in the office.
But the rest…he could leave it behind in a heartbeat.
He doesn’t fit the mold, and that’s okay.
We can do hard things, and life’s path isn’t always going to be easy. Especially for a kid who beats to their own drum.
I can’t change the path, but I can prepare him for it.
So tonight, we talked about the good…about the people, the learning, and of course, recess.
We talked about how to breathe through hard moments.
We reminded him he can own his time at home…he can run outside and play LEGOs ’till his heart is content.
Then we went outside in our jammies and we let him run until he couldn’t run anymore.
We tucked him in and kissed his head and told him the most important thing of all:
Tomorrow he can find someone who looks sad, friendless, or scared, and help them.
We told him even if he doesn’t see what school can give him, he can start to think about what he can give others at school, because finding a way to give someone else a little joy is the best way to forget our own troubles.
We can do hard things…especially when we do them together, lifting up others along the way.
Here’s to the kids who are wishing school away tonight…may they always know they have gifts the world us just waiting for.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Hiding in the Closet with Coffee by Amy Betters-Midtvedt. Follow Amy on Instagram here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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