Mean Girls

Isn't it funny how our emotions can run the gamut from extremely happy to pretty sad all in one day.

Today I started out happy. Really happy, for some strange reason. I got up early, not grumpily I might add, taught seminary, then went to the high school to do flute sectionals. Then I went to Target and did some retail therapy. It was fun just to walk around. I had another sectional at school and then went to pick up my middle schooler.

Elizabeth Stone said this about motherhood: Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Today my heart felt crushed because my son was crushed. He has, well I guess had, a group of guys that he has hung around with the last couple of years. They have never really totally included him, but have tolerated him. This week they have been particularly mean to him. He asked one guy why they didn't like him, or why didn't he want him around. He answered, "because you exist". Ouch. Then today in the car he told me that the one guy who usually sticks up for him, or at least doesn't act mean to him, didn't stick up for him. They told him to go away. They said they wouldn't be so mean if he just left them alone. Then they all moved. There's way more to this story, but that's the gist of it.

When a child's heart hurts, so the mother's heart hurts. I knew girls could be mean in middle school, but I didn't realize 13 old boys could act that way. I know these kids parents. They come from nice families. I don't know where this comes from. Next time I see those boys, I will say "mean girls!" to them. Well, at least I'll think it!