Don’t “Make Noise”

Don’t “Make Noise”

So Jujay (my first son) started a new school yesterday.  As usual, the young man took things in his stride.  His teacher reported that he was her liveliest student and made things easy for her. However, upon reaching the school to pick him up I was greeted with some bad news. 

The administrator met Nana (my husband) and I as we were heading to his class to inform me that there had been an incident.  Immediately, my heart stared racing.  Apparently, Jujay had been following an older kid on the compound during the break and had tumbled over a stone and hurt his lip.  Both of us started asking more questions to find out exactly what happened. 

We got in the class to find Jujay being fed by his teaching.  Both his upper and lower lips were bruised and swollen.  My initial irritation died down when he started jumping up and down and shouting mummy!! Daddy!! 

The administrator went on to explain that, they had decided to now let the ‘tiny people’ come on break after the big kids had finished their break. 

My reaction was very calm, by all standards.  Nana, who was pretty surprised by it later asked why I had reacted that way.  I had answered that “the boy was already hurt, making ‘noise’ about it was not going to change anything, plus the teachers were really sorry about it and were taking steps to make sure it didn’t happen again.”

I know, my typical reaction on any other day would have been to lash out on the teachers and to insist for better supervision.  But, I’ve been asking God to work on me and make me a better person.  However, a message I heard recently on “Minds and Wills” is helping me understand that there are things including reactions that are directly in my domain…I choose to act a certain way.  It is my choice to come unglued or to remain calm in the face of provocation. 

We are always pretty quick to give someone ‘a piece of our mind’ especially when we are in the right.  "They should know better not to let the little ones go on break with the older ones."  But in most situations this is after the fact.  Our reactions can hardly change anything that has been done.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15:1 that “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

Guess what, upon picking Jujay and his cousins up from school yesterday, Kofi, Jujay’s older cousin, informed us of how he had caused Jujay to fall.  Apparently, he was the older kid that Jujay had been following.  According to him, Jujay who was so excited to see him, had been dragging him to the school gate so they could go home when he tripped over a stone. 

So imagine what would have happened if I had ‘made noise’ and insisted on seeing who did this! 

Don't come unglued!!!