The child’s troubled, about being in the groups on his fieldtrip, it’s, awkward at that age, that’s for sure!!! Translated…
My second-grade son was on the verge of going on his fieldtrip, the teacher set it up: those students whose parents won’t be there, needed to go with a classmate, whose parents showed, to take care of each other.
After school, my son told me that noboy wanted to come to his group. I’d asked him why, and he couldn’t, tell me, and just answered, “I just did what I usually do, so how come nobody wants to be in my group? Don’t the other kids like me? I don’t want to go to school anymore………”
It’d reminded me, of each and every stage of my elementary school years, there are always those who are popular, and those who, aren’t, and this was most apparent, when we were, separating into groups. Humans are wonderful creatures, there are those, who are, willing to help out, when someone isn’t in need. Those who are popular, are put on a high pedestal, and those who aren’t, become, pushed to the borders.
About the friendships of boys, we can learn a little from Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer”, I’d always think, that my son shared similar characteristics as Tom, both of them are very empathetic, playful, mischievous, doesn’t pay enough attention in class, but, with that sense of intelligent, and humor too.
On friends, I wanted to tell him, that although I’d won an assortment of awards growing up, but I’d, actually enjoy being alone on my own, shopping, dining out, going to the movies on my own. Surely, having friends around is very loud and active, but, I’d felt, more comfortable, alone on my own; sometimes, I would, envy those groups of friends who’d, hung out together, going places, planning their trips, but comparing to that, I’d, must preferred, to do all of these things, on my own.
I’d wanted to tell him, you need to discover yourself first, do you prefer your alone time, or do you, like the company of others; you can change yourself, to get others to like you, or, you can, be yourself, and not be in conflict with yourself, and just, enjoy the friendships that came to you, naturally, instead of forcing it. I hope, that he won’t lose himself in this, colorful world, won’t feel that loneliness, in the midst, of a crowd.
There is, this hard-to-come-by connection with someone else we can make, and having a high-quality interaction with someone you enjoy being with, beats having a ton of friends you can, only interact on the surfaces. I hope he will never needed to, examine who his real friend are, when his luck is down, I hope, he will, make some true friends, and, have the blessings of having, real friends who appreciated him for who he is.
And so, this, is the troubles that an elementary school child faces, and, the mother’s wish for this son were, realistic, and, this boy must find out who he is, and that is a long discovery process, and, eventually, hopefully, he will come to the realization, that it wouldn’t matter that you have a TON of friends, what’s important, is having just a few whom you can, share your thoughts, feelings, and be yourselves around, friendship should be based off of QUALITY, NOT quantity!
Life, the Obstacle Course 