Last Thursday, my son’s baseball game didn’t go the way he wanted and this is a picture his friend, a natural athlete, drew him afterwards to cheer him up.
Every time I look at this photo, my eyes fill with tears of gratitude. At the end of the day, we all want our children to have one, good friend to whom they can turn. We want them to have friends who see them at their best and cheer them on but who also watch them as they fail and fall but who extend the hand and love them anyway.
We want our children to have friends who celebrate their strengths and rally behind them as they step out of their comfort zone as they literally (or figuratively) step up to bat. They give them the confidence and encouragement to try something new because they know someone on the bench has their back.
We want our children to have friends who are loyal, but who are also honest. Loyalty is being true to a friend but if a friend is out of line, the most loyal friend will be honest enough to tell them. It’s hard, but it’s necessary for authentic friendships. And authentic ones, my friends–they’re all any of us need.
We want our children to have that one friend who draws them a picture when they’re sad or who gives them a hug. As they get older, we want then to have that one friend who will push their hair from their eyes as they cry over a heartbreak. We want them to have friends who will just sit with them until the pain passes, whatever it is.
We want our children to have that one tried and true friend who will be there when the false ones betray them. These friends help them walk away from the table when love is no longer being served.
We want them to have a friend who knows all their faults but loves them anyway–truly loves them. This is rare, so we just pray for them to find it.
We want our children to learn that the world truly is a kind place and their friends prove to them that it’s true.
We want our children to find this special friend but even more so, we want our children to BE that friend.
Tonight, I’m grateful my son is learning how to be a good friend and that he is met with friendship in return from this boy and from the other children he spends his days with.
Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me tonight. We want our children to be and have good friends, and we also want that for ourselves.
Together tonight in friendship. I’m so grateful for the friendship offered to me on the page here from all of you.