Passion, Purple Shoes, and a Playground

I'm not going to try and recap the last year of my life since my last post. That would be a monumental task and a rather long blog. I will suffice to say that I'm starting to grow up. Not by much, but enough to send me spiraling into an unknown world where life is wrought with confusion, anger, frustration, sadness, and exhillaration, excitement, and perhaps euphoria.

Today was a passionate one for me. While supervising 10 of 18 of my kids at the Elementary School as we awaited the second trip to arrive to take us back to the daycare, I found just how much I hate bullying. A 12-14 year old girl, backed by her 10-12 girl cronies, unleased her cruelty on another boy and his friend. The boys were probably 10 or 11. As juvenile as this sounds (they're in elementary school, of course they're juvenile), the bully was making fun of the one boy's shoes, pants, hoodie, or what ever else she could.

As far as I'm concerned, purple skate shoes are pretty sweet (or sick, which ever fits today's slang) and I see no reason why someone would think they're otherwise. The kid obviously had a style that he liked; an emo-gangster cross. He had the tight jeans, long sleeved t-shirt, large baggy hoodie with the hood up, and a pristine, flat-brimmed, hat. It suited him. It seems, however, that his choice of style were much too stylish for the majority of the kids. He definitely stuck out, as did his friend. Most other kids wore the standard fit jeans, mono-chromed shoes, shirts, sweaters, hoodies (hood down). I digress.

As I observed the jests, laughs, names, and other cruel descriptions thrown at this young man, I could see him put up a strong front to deflect these arrows of poison. An amused smile. Occasional shrugs. However, behind this wall, I could see the poison seeping through the cracks and stinging and staining his body. The arrows never reached, but the meaning did.

I confirmed this later, after the girls all went their separate ways, when I walked by and casually engaged this young man and his friend in conversation.
"I like your shoes"
Purple Shoes looks down, "thanks", he replied.
"Where did you get them?"
A reply was given, but I don't remember where.
"Do you like them?"
"yeah"
Purple Shoes continues, "But they're not a good idea to wear at school."
"Why?"
I already knew the answer, but I wanted him to open the door to further and deeper discussion about the day's events.
"'cause people like to make fun of them", Purple Shoes admitted.
From here, I talked to him about just how not cool that was, why what we wear, or what people say about us or even think about us isn't worth thinking about. I explained what really does make us who we are. After this, it was time to go.

I really pray that this something that could possibly be the start of a friendship that could change how things operate on the playground.

I am really passionately against bullying and the verbal, physical, and emotional abuse it brings. Bullies. Watch out.