The Fabric of Faithfulness

Raising Self Confident Kids Tonight Elena spoke up at dinner about being made fun of. She talked about kids at Day Camp that were laughing that she was still using a car seat (really a booster) when they went from church to the ball fields for sports. They called her a baby and generally made her miserable. Now you have to understand several things are going on. Our day camp probably is 60% children who come from several subsidized housing projects in the neighborhood around the church. The inclusion of our “covenant kids” in a summer educational supplement program for the “community kids” is a very intentional part of the ministry and vision of our church. So we work through the cultural and class issues emerging from the fact that these kids families don’t have the money to get a booster seat – to say nothing of so many other reason their family culture are different than ours. But we get to what a child should do when made fun of. What is the truth about you, Elena? “I’m not a baby” Are you obeying what we’ve asked you to do? “Yes Papi” The truth is that you are a mature child, you have been very obedient and we love you. So what do you try to do when they make fun of you. “Well I try to ignore it” Is that a viable strategy? What happens when the jeering is moving her toward sin? We talked about a time her friend told her to hide even though Marialice was calling her to come home. Her friend said “I won’t be your friend if you go…” and so Elena stayed. How do we move our children toward being comfortable with themselves, no matter what is said and done around them, what is jeered and what is prodded. And how can we be more sensitive to the damage in their souls when they do have to stand on their own. I strongly believe that we cannot keep our children from these influences. Yet experiences like these make me really want to try. Oh Lord – and she is only 6.