THE LOST ART OF RELATIONSHIP
She knew his family was “religious” and pretty strict about what they “approved of” regarding music and other things. The next lesson included rock music, and she knew his family wouldn’t approve.
To his embarrassment, he had to leave the classroom for twenty minutes, while the other kids were taught the lesson in “rock” music—songs by Elvis and other rock stars of the 60s and 70s. He stood out in a big way, and all the kids kept asking why he needed to sit outside of the classroom. He told them the truth—he was not allowed to listen to rock music, which caused another rift in the relationships with the other kids. More fuel for their ridicule.
It happened again a few years later when the kids in gym class were learning how to square dance. He was not “allowed” to dance because his family and church prohibited it. There are few things more embarrassing than a kid having to sit with his back against a cold gymnasium wall, listening to the music, and watching all of his peers learning how to do-si-do.
He became a pariah in elementary school, which was hard on him. Sure, some friends came alongside him and encouraged him, but more often than not, those friends acted differently when the “cool” kids were around.
While he did have a soft heart toward others, he was not afraid to stand up for himself. Like the time in third grade when one boy had been picking on him and challenged him to a fight after school. He hadn’t done anything to this boy, but for some reason, he was targeted for this fight.
All day he was nervous and hoped to find a different exit from the classroom to escape the fight. Unfortunately, there was only one exit from the classroom, but luckily you could go in one of two directions once you walked out. He just had to pick the right direction. News spread to all of the third grade, and as luck would have it, both directions were blocked by a crowd of kids. There was no escape. It was like a fight-club scene on a miniature scale. He was surrounded on all sides by kids shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” The kid who challenged him was on one side, while his friends were encouraging him to “beat him up.”
The young boy told him he didn’t want to fight, but the other boy kept pushing him and egging him on, trying to get a reaction. For some reason, this time of ridicule was different than all the other times. Perhaps he was just sick and tired of being treated so poorly by the other kids. Or maybe he realized he was at the point where if he didn’t do something, the ridicule would never stop. It could have been the fact that his dad had always told him that fighting was wrong, but if he ever got to the point of having to defend himself, he shouldn’t hold back.
Whatever it was that drove his decision that day, he decided to respond in force. The fight moved outside, and that’s when he grabbed the other boy by his