Challenge

Last week i had the pleasure of attending a conference/workshop on youth at risk - working in the violence and gang culture.
It was a very eye opening experience. there were three key note speakers, each one as good as the next. The first was a gang and violence expert, very analytical and numbers and statistics. The second was raw emotion. Darrell Scott, his daughter was the first person killed at the Columbine high school shooting. the third was very amusing. the speaker had many learning disabilities, adult adhd, etc, but overcame all to become one of the top clinical psychologists in North america.
It was the second speaker, Darrell Scott that really got me. It was a very emotional presentation. He took his daughters tragedy and turned it into a worldwide phenomenon that has now affected and helped hundreds of thousands of kids worldwide.
His daughters name was Rachel. He created a program called Rachel's challenge. The gist of it is Rachel felt that if every person that she came in contact with could do one nice thing for one other person, be kind and compassionate, it would start a chain reaction. She wrote about this just before she was murdered. (rachelschallenge.org)
She wrote herself a code of conduct that she tried to live by and as she was a 17 year old girl, the words that came from her were beyond astounding. It is a shame knowing that they two that killed her were the examples of what she was trying to change.
The presentation from her father was a very raw and emotional talk. A lot of his presentation was done through news reports happening the day of and interviews. It really got to me.
I want to put forth the same challenge to everyone who reads this, whether you are a student or sidekicks member, or just someone who enjoys reading my ramblings.
Look for the good in people. Accept everyone with a smile, no matter what they are like. Be kind. Always. Have compassion and be honest.
If we all try that little bit more, maybe we can change things, prevent tragedies and start a chain reaction of our own.

These are the ramblings in my head.
Dusty

Dumbfounded

My post this week probably wont make me many friends, but i have to vent.
"I could never make my child do something they didnt want to do".
read that sentence and think about how it makes you feel. Have you ever thought it? Said it? done it?
I have heard it about 5 times in the last two weeks. And i am dumbfounded!
Remember, this is just my opinion and thats all, and opinions are like certain body parts...we all have them and sometimes they stink.
Hearing that statement makes my blood boil. i feel that that statement is one of the worst things a parent could ever do. I cant make my child do something they dont want to do. argh!
to fill you in on the last time i heard it, it was from a parent of a student whose membership was ending and the child didnt like the 'discipline' in the class. The mother was not going to renew the membership because her daughter didnt like the fact that when she goofed around, she got in trouble. I explained that it was all part of the program, and just like everything else in life, when you break the rules, there are consequences.
This is all part of our program and that this child needs a little discipline in life and the response i got back was 'my child doesnt like that and i could never force them to do something they dont want to do'.
When did a 5 year old start dictating the rules in life?
This is a realy bad precedent to set. So when your child comes to you and says i dont want to brush my teeth, you cave in? my homework is too hard, i dont want to do it. ok thats fine. things get tough. we quit. things get hard, oh well. and we wonder why as adults, they cant last with anything. Please check out the divorce rate and the average timespan at a job to see what i am talking about.
Our society is an instant gratification society. I believe the 'me' generation is now having kids.
Like i said, probably not a popular post, but i had to get it off my chest.
Just the ramblings in my head,
Dusty