I have been named to the "village" of one of my friend's children. My role in her village is to teach her cooking skills. Other people are responsible for music lessons or crafts or building.
A few weeks ago, my friend discovered that the two besties of her daughter will not be attending the local public elementary school. One is being sent to a private, religiously affiliated school and the other will be home-schooled. The parents of the besties not only are feeling a tad self-righteous about their educational decisions, but then actively shamed my friend for "exposing" her daughter to the "elements" at the local public school. (For the record, the elementary school in question is considered one of the best in the region.) My friend briefly wondered if perhaps she was making an error her child wouldn't recover from, ever . . . or if her decision to stay employed and not home-school her child indicated some maternal lacking on her part.
About this time, I became reacquainted with a friend from own public school days. My friend, in school, was the class "freak." He was pretty openly gay, very expressive and artistic. He was in a small town in the rural south, and often came up against ridicule and meanness. In becoming reacquainted, he told me that he was pretty miserable in school, but that one saving grace was that I was his friend. (Truth be told, in those days, I admired his ability to be exactly who he was, not what he thought wouldn't attract any undo attention.) He told me that he knew I was smart, and if I liked him . . . there must be something about him worth liking. (aawwwwww, sweet)
I told my mommy-friend that she MUST send her daughter to public school. There will be little freak children who are artsy or gay or different and they will need a child like her daughter to accept them.
And, as if to drive the point home, my friend recently told me that her child has asked that her December birthday party have a "halloween" theme . . . well, it doesn't have to be halloween exactly, but scary. When asked why, the child explained that one of her besties isn't allowed to have halloween, but she thought that if her birthday party had a scary theme, he'd get to have halloween that way.
Because, even the kids of the overly protective, ultra-conservative, christian freaks are gonna need love too.
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