Cruel

It is hard to be a parent, I know it is even harder to be a kid. You remember your own parents telling you that kids can be so cruel? I do and they were. They teased you about your hair, or your make up, or the fact that you did not wear name brand shoes. One little difference and they jumped all over it. No understanding, just pick pick pick until you break that person's spirit.

You would think that after Columbine, kids would have learned that you can't do that anymore. Of course they don't. Most kids learn their behavior from their parents, because they were like that as a child or they still are and pick on their own children. Word and actions leave a lasting impression on people. The most memorable thing my parents ever said about me to other adults was "Rachel is taking Biology and Geometry and Rhonda is taking PreSchool and Sandbox." Man did that hurt my feelings. My mother to this day denies ever saying that, which I heard her repeat it and laugh about it.

You can send your kids to school with all the ways to succeed, but you never know how to "arm" them for cruel children. Saying stuff like "Bullies pick on other kids because they are insecure about themselves" really does not help much. You can give them witty comebacks, but no one remembers those until ten minutes after the incident. They can go to a teacher and get labeled a snitch. What do you do? Teach them to turn the other cheek and know who you are and ignore the ones who do not. But how do you protect them from kids at church that pick on other kids at church?

ReAnna is different, and I know she comes off as weird, but get to know her and she is easy to get. She is kind, loving, caring, funny, eccentric, stubborn, protective. Though I think I am sort of biased, I still think she is a great young woman. Yet girls in her Beehive group pick on her and talk down to her and are just plain rude to her. These are some of the girls that have influential families in our ward. I doubt these parents know what their children are like when they are not around. Around adults everyone thinks they are perfect, but get them alone with ReAnna and it is pick pick pick! She likes to go to church and mutual, but always complains that they are mean to her there. Of course when there are no adults around, they are not stupid! Then she forgives them and moves on, only for them to do it all over again. She has forgiven you more times than I personally think they deserve. Don't they see their handy work?

Last night they did. ReAnna and the other Beehives were babysitting for a relief society enrichment. She came in about 20 minutes after it started crying asking to go home. I asked her why and she said those two girls were picking on her again. I had had enough. So I went it and in a nice way chewed them out and made them look at what they had caused. One almost cried because she did not realize what pain she had caused ReAnna. The other did not seem to phase her in the least. I guess we wait and see if they actually learned their lesson on their own or because I had to tell them to stop.

How do you protect them from that? I am not going to be there everytime, I can't follow her around for the rest of her life and block all the mean people that she crosses paths with. You know there are kids out there that are cruel and don't know right from wrong because their parents or society failed to teach them, but what about the kids you go to church with? They are taught right from wrong at home, at church, in Sunday School. Yet they jump at the chance to pick on someone for being a little different.

There is a song by Mark Wills called "Don't Laugh At Me," I feel like making all those kids at church listen to the song and them write an essay as to what it means to them. Heavenly Father loves us no matter what our differences. I like to think that He loves those children and adults with disabilities just a little bit more. I wish those girls could just be ReAnna for one day, so they can see what she goes through and the struggles she has. Maybe then they will realize what you say and do to others in a mean way, hurt.

When we die, the only thing that we leave behind other then memories and loved ones, is the lasting impression we mark everyone's lives with that we met in our time on Earth. It doesn't matter if we threw the winning touchdown in overtime, or if we made head cheerleader. What people remember most of all is who was nice to them and who was mean. I don't know about other people, but I want the lasting impression I leave on others as kindness and love.