Sunday, December 6, 2009

Talk About It

When I was student teaching sixth graders, my cooperating teacher told me to be very careful not to say negative things about a student during parent-teacher conferences because she had an experience where a child came to school with bruises the day after parent-teacher conferences. She felt sorrowful knowing that her words prompted someone to harm a child.

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" ~St. Matthew 18:6


Growing up, remember listening to my peers talk to each other about getting "lickings" from their parents. I know parenting is hard. I know children can be exasperating. I think we all spent some time being exasperating as a children. Physically and/or verbally harming children is wrong. Have you been witness to child abuse? Have you said something that caused a parent to angrily react toward their child and even hurt him or her? As a mom and as a Christian, I feel like staying silent when I know a child is being hurt is wrong. I do empathize with my cooperating teacher's experience. But what can I do or say that may help someone's child in this situation?

1 comment:

Maren said...

Reminds me of another scripture... (Sadly, one of my favorites...) http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jacob/2/35

Jacob 2:35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.

I'm in the same boat as you, What can I do or say about it? I know they'll "get theirs" later, but still. It breaks your heart. :(