The "MEAN" Kids..

We just got home form a few days away camping. Our little family of 4 loves to spend time together and we especially enjoy going camping. There is something about pulling your "home away from home" behind you in search of the perfect spot to park for the night. We decided to try out Little Bow Provincial park. The campground was situated at the bottom of a long hill, it had lush vegetation with many mature trees and bushes. It is a boaters paradise, with a huge reservoir to boat on. Needless to say that there were so many campers there that I felt like we were in a full parking lot with trees. You weren't secluded from your neighbors and this is something that Tyler and I both didn't really like. We made the best of it anyway and had a good time, although early the next morning we packed up and headed to another campsite in search of something a little more private.

Tyson is a very personable child. He isn't afraid to talk to strangers, although lately he keeps asking me if these people are strangers and if they are kidnappers. Yes I have tried to drill it in his little head that there are some bad people in the world and we have to be catious. Anyway, there were a bunch of kids climbing a tree that was by our campsite. Naturally Tyson wanted to play with them. The kids were a few years older than him, which didn't bother him, but seemed to bother them. Tyson of course was too short to climb the tree without our help, so the other kids kept telling him he was too small. They were calling him a baby, and saying that he probably still wore diapers. Meanwhile I am taking this all in and am feeling heart broken that some little kid would treat my child that way. Tyson continued to try and play with them, and they kept making fun of him because he still had training wheels on his bike. The kids were also using language that I don't allow Tyson to say. He told them they were saying bad words and they shouldn't say them anymore. The older kids said they were allowed to say swears because the were 8! As I sat there and listened more intently on the situation my heart kept breaking. At such a VERY young age these children were already being unkind. Tyler told me not to do anything, that it didn't seem to be bothering Tyson. Well it was bothering ME! Finally I couldn't take it any longer and went over and told the kids that if they couldn't be nice then they couldn't play together. I took Tyson aside and told him that he couldn't play with those naughty kids ( a word that I should have used with them because from then on Tyson kept referring to the kids as the "naughty kids." LOL), that they weren't being nice and they weren't saying nice words. He asked me if they hated him, of course I told him NO! He then told me all the unkind things the kids were saying to him. How could my heart not break for the way they were treating him. I know, I am a very over protective mother. I know that I won't be able to keep him from unkind kids all of his life. But I can teach him to be kind to everyone. This is a quality that I want both my boys to acquire. It reminded me of a primary song, and I sang it to Tyson. The words are:

Jesus said love everyone,

Treat them kindly too.

When your heart is filled with love,

Others will love you!

How true these words are. We MUST be kind and tolerant at all times to others. Deep down I know that the "mean" kids didn't intent to harm or hurt Tyson. But on the other hand, we never now when something we might say may offend or hurt another person. We MUST think before we speak. Remember the golden rule,

Do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves.