Because He Has Tourette Syndrome
I have known several parents who made excuses for their children, mistakenly thinking they were helping them. Several years ago a principal at a local junior high told me about a boy in his school who was struggling with self-esteem issues, but really wanted to be the student who made the morning announcements over the PA system. After consultation with his teachers, the principal decided to give him a chance and the boy excelled with this opportunity. Within a week, this boy’s father called and demanded that someone else make the morning announcements. Curious, the principal asked why and the father told him, “Because he has Tourette syndrome.” This father was making excuses, perhaps because he was embarrassed for his son, but this excuse rather than strengthening his son interfered with his personal growth. I believe the following poem illustrates what we want to help our children learn as they navigate their lives.
Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eyes upon the rail.Author unknown
We all want the best for our children and we don’t want them to fail but we also want to help them understand that making excuses will not lead to success. When we as parents provide excuses, we may believe we are making our children’s lives more tolerable but the reality is personal growth comes when like the engineer they have the chance to stretch and grow.
Please send me your thoughts.
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