Stop me in my Tracks

Sometimes our children do things that make us stop in our tracks and reflect on our own actions. Evan does that often with his empathy towards others. On Tuesday, the 4th graders had their big field trip to visit the Amish. For years, that is the trip that is talked about and in elementary, the 4th grade Amish trip is a big deal.

That morning I gave him some money to buy something from the bakery or an Amish hat. He didn't want to take the money but I made him and told him he HAD to buy something. When he got home, he told me the trip was so much fun but there was one bad thing that happened. He told me that his best friend, Ike got sick that morning and couldn't go on the field trip. Evan felt horrible that Ike missed out. So bad that instead of buying a hat and candy like a lot of the other kids, he bought Ike some gummy bears from the bakery instead. He was worried I would be mad that he spent his money on Ike and just bought something little for himself.

That really stopped me in my tracks. Here are a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds and Evan decides to think about his friend. He didn't have a hat like most of his friends, but instead was thinking about the one that had to miss the fun. Evan has always put others first and been concerned about others. I am around Middle School kids all day long and Ben is with high schoolers. We know how rare that is in kids. We are so proud of him and I hope that he always keeps that quality. I told one of my friends the other day....When I grow up, I hope I am just like him!