Well the title pretty much says it all. I signed the boys up for VBS with all these great ideas of them making friends and loving Jesus and singing songs for several hours a day (ok and mommy getting a little time on her own).
Day 1: Dropping boys off to the gym of screaming, dancing, singing children. Jake will not leave my side so I sit for awhile with him. Everytime I get up to leave he follows crying his head off. Put him back repeat...you get the picture. So the sweet teacher says "Go ahead and go honey I'll hold him for you." Ok I quickly and happily walk to the exit door. Turn to check and Jake is now in full-out panic screamming and kicking and hitting the sweet teacher. She is holding on to him for dear life while he physically assults her. I watch this for what seems like an hour (2-3 minutes) She puts him down (probably checking for bruising and bleeding) and he bolts for the door, where I stop him. I put him back....sit for awhile longer with him, realizing my dream of a completely silent morning is quickly vanishing. I look in Ty's direction and see 3 teachers all huddled around him ("Oh no is he hurt?") Ah... no, he is crying his head off now for no apparent reason. He wants to go home and hates it here. It is too loud and none of his friends (St Louis friends, that is) are here. So I talk to (threaten) both of them off to the side about how this is supposed to be fun and to get back to their classes. Ty decides he will give it a chance once they leave the noisy gym and start making crafts and having snacks. I take Jake to his room and he throws himself on the ground and kicks and screams. Ok...I have had all I can take out of him so I kiss Ty goodbye and put Jake in the car to go home.
Day2: Jake has been threatened if he beats his teacher he will get a beating from daddy so off we go for some more fun and learning about Jesus. Ha ha! Ty goes off to his class and sits on the ground ignoring all of the songs and dancing going on around him but he isn't crying so I will take it. Jake sits down with me in the vacinity of his class and has a death grip on my hand. I remind him lovingly how he will be getting a spanking if he throws a fit or hits his teacher. I get up to leave and he stands up and starts with the tears again. No screaming and assulting, just a broken hearted why are you doing this to me again cry so I'll take that too...Off mommy goes for her first morning of silence. I go home feeling guilty...why again am I doing this to them and why are we not in St. Louis? It was a long three hours spent sad and worrying...not what I had envisioned at all. So I go to pick them up and Ty is looking sad, I ask him how his day went and if he had any fun today. Ty: "No not at all and that boy over there is so mean, I don't like him at all." Oh great so you are learning to hate at VBS? LOL. So come to find out this boy told Ty he has big ears and looks like a monkey. Nice huh? I was hoping this bullying wasn't going to come for a few more years and especially not at a church thing. Well, what can you do huh? Now I am feeling extra guilty and convinced I am not sending my children back to this horrible place, it is making all of us miserable. Jay and I talk to Ty about it and Jay thinks we shouldn't run away from it (bullying is going to happen to all kids at some point and we can't protect him forever). He is right, even though the mama bear in me wants to find the kid and tell him what I think he looks like..lol!
Day 3: Ty has ready to give VBS one more try and if it doesn't go better we will talk about skipping the rest of the week. I prayed for him and Jake all morning and when we got there. Ty ran over to his class and began dancing with our neighbor friend Kaden. I talked to his teacher and told her what happened and just asked if she could look out for him. She said she had another complaint about the same kid so she already had her eye on him today. I decided that I would stay with Jake until the music was over and they were going to the classroom. I walked him to the class and he ran off with the teacher to help start the Veggie Tales movie....HELLO! No kiss goodbye, no see ya later...just gone...I look around...Can it really be? No tears? I am free? Why am I still standing here? RUN NOW!
So that is my week so far.
Lesson? God answers prayers and my kids will survive without me for 3 hours.
2017 videos pt 1
6 years ago
