Sticks and stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Really? As I held my sobbing son in my arms last night I was thinking that phrase couldn't be farther from the truth.

Carter's side of the story (the only one I heard): He was upset that the neighbor kids didn't want to play with him and basically told him to go away. "Why do they have to be so mean to me? They hate me!"

That's a tough question to answer. Why are some people so mean? How could anyone hate MY kid? Why can't we all get along? I wanted to cry, too.

First, I assured him he is a wonderful kid and it's anyone's loss if they can't see that. I pointed out that there a lot more times that the neighbor kids DO play with him than DON'T. The important thing is that if they call him names, he shouldn't say anything back. "Do you?" I ask.

No, he says. He had a teacher once who said when people call you names, you should just say "Thanks," because that surprises them and doesn't make it as fun for them so they might quit. Good advice.

It's times like these, though, that he says he wants to move to Iola so he can be away from the alleged bullies. I pointed out that these are not the only kids in the world. And he agreed he'd miss the friends who are nice to him and miss the teachers at Grant Elementary "because they are the nicest in the world!"

I said that's good. There are positive things to look forward to when school starts. Then I get this hiccupy sob with a "I wish I could just be done being a kid and be an adult!"

Oh honey, if you only knew. I tell him grownups deal with this, too, but people can be mean in different ways. Gossip, criticism, back-stabbing... it all comes down to words. And yes, they still hurt.

Maybe when Carter becomes a scientist some day he can invent a special Band-Aid to take that pain away. I believe he has the heart and mind for it!