my boy

I am a Gleek. I admit it. Heck, I am proud of it. And today, I watched another episode (the one that aired after the Super Bowl) that reminded me of why I buy into the show, and why I would be okay with my children watching it... if it weren't for the sexual innuendos that are not entirely appropriate for those under the age of sixteen.

Can you imagine growing up, being in high school, and someone actually encouraging you to be who you are instead of who the world thinks you should be? Can you imagine being a football player, and being not only accepted, but encouraged, to be in the Glee Club? Or being a gay teenage boy in Glee Club, and not tormented by the football team?

If there is one child of mine that I worry about the most, it is Isaac (age 8, third grade).

Isaac never has been an athlete. He has always been incredibly artistic and creative. Isaac is all boy, but not your typical boy.

Isaac loves to sing and write his own songs. He loves to listen to music and draw. He loves to check out fashion and hair styles. He, himself, loves his hair long and wears a fedora when appropriate. He owns quite a few fedoras, in fact. Isaac wears Converse, not Adidas or Nike. He has at least five pairs of sunglasses. He has a major crush on Katy Perry (who doesn't?).

He doesn't like to wrestle around, he despises any physical activity that requires contact, and he is the kind of kid that is brought to tears when physically hurt, instead of sucking it up. He tends to stick close to the girls and other non-athletes at recess so there could be no chance of injury.

Isaac is the sensitive one. The one who puts thought into every thing he does for someone else. This year, he hand made every Valentine card for his classmates. Isaac makes all of his Christmas gifts. He loves to play school and imitate his teachers.  He is a monkey-see, monkey-do kind of kid.

And who knows? Isaac, one day, may be in the Show Choir.

While the world may not accept that Isaac is not your typical boy, we sure do! Why would we ever... ever... want Isaac to be anything other than who God created him to be?

Easier said than done, right?

As parents, we have a vision of what our children will be like and what their interests will be as they go from infant to toddler to adolescent to teenager to adult. Unfortunately, as parents, we have very litttle control over this aspect of our children's lives.

Interesting, huh?

Who they are and what makes them... well... THEM - the core of their very being - is completely out of our control. We can force our children to do this or do that, to wear a certain type of clothing, to talk and walk a certain way... but in the end, the gifts that they have been given - and the personality and traits that define who they are - are completely out of our control.  

So, with Isaac, what is it that I worry about? Of course, I worry that his personality one day won't be accepted in the crowd he chooses or wants to hang with. Or, that maybe he will be rejected because his gifts and personality definitely do not align with what is seen as the norm, as far as 'boys' go.

I pray that Isaac will be strong enough to deal with any situation that comes his way (so far, so good), but my heart breaks for all of those teenagers who aren't... and he could be one of those kids one day. 

However, I also am confident that one day, someone will be enamored with Isaac's sensitivity, thoughtfulness and creativity (who am I kidding... the ladies are lining up already).  I look forward to seeing how Isaac is able to experience the world because of who he is, and I cannot imagine how he will impact his world with his gifts and talents.