I Believe That Too, Seth.

I'd like to tell you a story of the faith of a child. Okay, he is 13 and would tell you he's no longer a child, but he is and always will be my child and my "baby" even. A little over a year ago, he began his first year of middle school, a 7th grader, wanting to be so brave, but anxious nonetheless about going to such a big school with so many classrooms, so many teachers, and so many kids. Not surprising, though, he jumped right in and was perfectly comfortable after the first day. He loved it! "This is 100 times better than elementary school," he declared. Whew! He was off to a great start, and this mom was grateful.

His enthusiasm continued through the year, with only really one exception: P.E. I should explain, if I haven't already, something about our family. We don't raise athletes. We just don't. It isn't in their genetic makeup to excel at sports or P.E. or anything requiring physical coordination and strength. At least not for the most part. Shulamith, like me, loved to dance, and her extensive dance training helped make her an excellent cheerleader in high school. Eli loved all sports and played most of them, but a star athlete he would never be. The other three boys struggled more. Every physical skill was a challenge. We encouraged them to try their best and leave the rest because what else could they do? We reminded them that some kids struggle to read or do math or understand science, but those kids still have to try. Giving up wasn't an option, but neither was feeling worthless because of the things they simply could not do.

Seth's 7th grade P.E. class was rough from the start. Children in public schools today are well educated about bullying. They know how to recognize it and call it out for what it is. This is a good thing. So when Seth told us he was being bullied in P.E. class, we took him seriously. Truthfully, I don't feel anyone was to blame. Twelve-year-old boys are by nature immature. They are ruthlessly competitive, and they don't have a great handle on empathy or diplomacy. As for the teacher, I'm sure he wouldn't knowingly allow bullying in his class, but it's not humanly possible for one man to control every word that comes out of the mouths of 50+ rambunctious boys during the course of an hour.

One thing I do wish he would change is the way he goes about dividing up teams for in-class sports. He uses the age-old method of selecting two team captains and then allowing those two kids to alternate choosing teammates, one after another. Day after day after day after day, Seth was the very last kid chosen. It was humiliating. But the reality was that if winning was the only objective, and with 7th-grade boys it definitely was, then Seth would not be an asset to any team. I would like P.E. teachers to rethink this method of team division.

As the weeks went on, we hoped the situation would improve. It didn't. We tried to empower Seth with positive coping strategies. "Tell these kids it hurts your feelings when they make rude comments about you." Or. "Simply walk away and remember that what they say about you has no bearing on reality; it takes nothing away from your true nature, a divine son of Heavenly Parents." When nothing worked and Seth began to dread P.E. class, all the while loving all his other classes, I decided to talk to the teacher. He was friendly and really quite nice, but his response was less than satisfying: "Yeah, you really have to have thick skin to be in a 7th-grade boys' P.E. class." Perhaps. A little. Actually, no. It's a required class, one he has no choice but to attend. He should not have to endure constant, daily bullying.

About three weeks before the end of the semester, I received a text message from Seth immediately following his P.E. class: "It was just awful today. I'm trying not to cry." Okay, enough. ENOUGH. I made an appointment that afternoon to speak with the assistant principal. Some of you might be thinking, "Why did you wait that long?" I've asked myself that same question. I think I kept hoping the situation would remedy itself, especially because he was so happy in all his other classes and with school in general. I probably should have intervened sooner. I'll never know.

Regardless, the assistant principal was fabulous. Rarely have I been so impressed with an educator as I was that day. She listened to me. She was understanding. She genuinely seemed to care about Seth. She told me that he had endured this long enough, and she offered me a couple different solutions and asked if either would be acceptable. We decided Seth would be immediately rescheduled into a student aid position for the remainder of the semester during the period he had P.E. I've never seen a kid more relieved. He hugged me tight and thanked me for caring about him enough to make this change happen. Fortunately, P.E. was only one semester, so we were free from worry for the time being.

Until this past fall. The start of 8th grade. As summer came rapidly to a close, I began to worry knowing Seth would be right back in P.E. class when school began. I talked about it with him; he was concerned too but less so than I was. Kids forget so quickly. I do not. A mother is only ever as happy as her saddest child. He was excited to start 8th grade. He was excited for his classes, especially technology (shocking, huh?). As the first few days passed, I asked about each class by name, and with trepidation, I asked the burning question, "How's P.E. going?"

"Great!" he replied. "I love P.E."  Seriously? I didn't probe right then; I wondered if it was just the "honeymoon" period? Surely it couldn't be that different from last year. Yes, it was a different teacher this time, but it was the kids, not the teacher, who were the problem. What had changed so drastically? His affinity for P.E. class didn't end. Finally, I asked more directly what was so different this year. He told me it was two things. First, this teacher doesn't do the team selection process. Instead, he just assigns teams, and the teams stay the same throughout the semester. And second, Seth loves his team. Apparently, they are terrific kids, who are all more interested in having fun than winning. What are they playing right now? Football. FOOTBALL! Seth, my Seth, is enjoying playing football. Hallelujah!

And then he added one more thing, the most important thing of all. He told me he believes this P.E. class and his particular team are the answer to prayer:

"I prayed that P.E. would be okay this year. I never thought it could be this good, but I just prayed it would be okay. And I believe this was a gift...like from God. I really believe it was an answer to my prayer."

I believe that too, Seth. I believe that too.