Fighting the good fight...

"At some point we all get tired of "fighting the good fight." But for parents of kiddos with special needs it's like you cannot stop because there are people everywhere that do not see the larger picture. Rarely do kiddos want to be "bad"... something is behind it. And NO , parents cannot "fix" everything... no matter how much time passes. Our kiddos want to be loved. They want friends. They want to matter and make a difference. They may just take a different path or take more time to get there."

I wrote that.  Why?  Well... someone one Facebook had posted something about an article they read.  (You can read it too by clicking on the link.)  They were wondering what thoughts people had about it.

Here are some of the posts people had to say about it... 
  

• So will they be virtual workers when they are older also?

• I agree totally. If a small number of hard-core troublemakers are removed, student performance and teacher morale will go up.
• While I agree that removing disruption would better a class, I disagree with the idea of separating them from public working situations that they will need in adult life.
• I agree, disruptive students affect the education of other attentive students that want to learn. For most of us, our children are the ones that want to learn and are being robbed of a great education by some hard-core troublemakers. The majority of kids, are good and follow the rules, why should they suffer because of a few bad apples. I haven't read the article yet, but look forward to doing so, and voting for IT!!
• I personally feel that way too much is done for the most disruptive as it is. Quiet kids who never act out but are still struggling academically often get ignored while the major disruptors get all the attention.

I share that with you, so you know where my thoughts may have been coming from.  You see, I'm a mother of "disruptive" children.  My children have been know to have all kinds of off the wall behaviors in class.  Sometimes they really aren't even that "off the wall" but annoying enough that the teacher has to stop class to redirect it. But I'm left wondering where is the compassion in this world.

I do not believe that children grow up WANTING to be naughty.  I think sometimes they choose bad choices to get attention because that is all they grew up learning.  For some, making bad choices is about survival.  But this again, isn't something they they necessarily would have chosen for themselves had they grown up in a loving and supportive home. Children react to their situations and it comes out in their behaviors.

We cannot just keep "getting rid" of the uncomfortable.  We cannot just "ship them" somewhere else.  God has all kinds of difficult people in our lives.  Sure, it would be easier without them, but we might not learn to be gracious, kind, gentle, compassionate and we might not have to learn to live a life like our Lord Jesus.   I don't believe God wants us to stand by and do nothing.  He wants us to find those hurting and show them love.  Trust me, the kids who are "trouble makers" are probably troubled by something.  They need love and support.  They need someone to believe in them.  They need the love of Christ Jesus through our hands, our feet, and our hearts.