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One sat on the curb of the fast food parking lot while a female figure messed with something in the car (a vehicle that was probably never new). The little boy was smiling and waving at passers-by. He was unkempt, but that was not what drew my attention to him. It was the deliberate eye contact, the broad smile, and that unsolicited wave.....the open-palm addressed just to me as I drove past.
The other one was being carried on the hip of a person in a hurry. A mad hurry, it appeared. She was returning to a vehicle to get more money from the passenger-side occupant, that much I could tell. The toddler was oblivious, I hope, to the turmoil that was all over her face. Who has to go back to the car to get more money for a Happy Meal? Or, was she aggravated that she had to babysit someone's kid who was working inside? A grandmother? An aunt? A friend? Maybe late for her shift? Many scenarios crossed my mind out of concern and worry, not judgment.
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These two little fellows may be beloved and cherished with every breath they take. Their daily routines might mirror my granddaughter's or the children I teach. God, I pray that is the case. It is now summer, and so many children are home without a constant in their lives. Say what we want to about the drudgery of the classroom, routine helps children, which is exactly why educators must see themselves as more than teachers. Sometimes the routine we provide is the only structure they will receive. And our routine must be borne more of love than of duty or obligation.
So when the summer break comes--which both teachers and children most definitely need--my heart still grieves some. Children often no longer get lost in books to help them cope or retreat or to encourage them to use their imaginations. For many, summer is not the swimming hole or fishing or VBS or vacations but a steady diet of seeing and hearing more than they should on some media device or, even worse, inside their home's four walls.
Of course, my parents worried about too much television and not enough reading. Their parents worried about whether or not a crop would make. Each generation has encountered challenges. But more and more, I worry for the children who return to us August-May who do not know the beauty of a routine that involves love. For those children so fortunate, I am grateful to their families who have taught that love is the most important language they will ever learn.
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So here's your summer assignment:
Say prayers for our June-July-August children, especially those who are marginalized.
Pray for our children's safety, for recuperative rest from 9.5 months of school, and for love to surround them (sweet love and tough love).
Do not judge the parent(s) out late at night with children shopping for groceries. They may have just been paid. They may have just left work. They may just like to shop late.
Do not judge the parent(s) out late at night with children shopping for groceries. They may have just been paid. They may have just left work. They may just like to shop late.
Think positive thoughts for tired parents who are barely making ends meet.
Under any circumstance, think really positive thoughts for parents of small and school-age children.
Consider the cares of families with children who have 24/7 special needs.
Send a postcard to a child in order to inspire him or her to travel some day.
Speak the language of love with kindness and with firmness when needed.
And above all, smile and wave back--it is the healthiest thing on the menu, for all of us.
