Baby's First...

When you have a child one of the most wonderful things to experience are baby's firsts. His first smile, his first steps, his first birthday. It seems as if there are a million firsts that baby goes through in that first year of life!

This is Orion at 3 weeks old. My very first baby and his first photo shoot!

 

 

Here he is at 6 months old roasting his first marshmallow on his first camping trip

This is his first birthday

Here is his first outfit that he loved to wear, he would pick out that vest everyday!

As Orion grew, his firsts changed. Once he hit his first birthday they were fewer and farther between. He had his first day of school, his first overnight with a friend. It was bittersweet as he was hitting his firsts, he was also doing some of his lasts. Like the last time he needed me to brush his teeth. The last time he cried in the night for his mama. The last time he needed to hold my hand to cross the street. He grew so quickly it was hard for me to keep up.

This was Centauri and Orion getting ready to go to the park for the first time without mama there to keep them safe.

 Once again, at 16, Orion is doing some firsts! Today, December 4th, 2014, he is going on his first airplane ride! He is going to Hawaii for the first time and going to get to see the ocean the first time in his life!

His first airplane ride!

 It was so difficult to drop him off this morning. It felt like I was letting go of so much. It felt like it was the last time he would really be a kid. My baby was all grown up. He didn't need me to walk him in (although I am happy to say that he wanted me to), he didn't need me to hold his hand.

Parenting is about raising a child to become an adult. It is about helping a child to tell right from wrong and give them that moral compass they can rely on. It is about letting your child practice becoming a grown up over and over in safety, knowing that you have their back. It is about letting go when they are ready and allowing them to do their firsts on their own.

As I let go this morning, I realized that my first baby was now going to be my first adult. He still has some practice to do, he still needs the safety of my home, but soon he will be doing some of his lasts again. I can only pray that God has guided mine and Tim's hands enough to have brought him up on the right path. I pray that God will now guide Orion to make the right choices and to be the amazing adult I know he can be.

Being punished for being bullied

It's been awhile since I've written in my blog. We've had a million adventures, including finding a dinosaur! I've found that I just don't write as well when I'm having a good time. Recently, Rigel has been experiencing some bully issues in school. There is a group of boys that likes to play soccer in his school that have decided they are better than everyone else. Rigel is an independent kind of guy. He isn't afraid to say what is on his mind. This group of boys decided a certain table belonged to them at lunch time. Rigel's friend (with Aspberger's Syndrome) didn't understand about the territorial issues that can arise from sitting on this table, so he sat. Rigel sat next to him. This is what started the bullying.
     Rigel is a fierce protector of the people he loves. He and his friend were told to move, in a not so polite way. Rigel told them they had a right to sit where they wanted. He was then pushed, threatened with his life, and physically forced to get off the table. They picked up his lunch, told him they would kill him if he didn't get out of here. The same was done to his friend. Rigel came to me (I was working in the lunch room at the time) I went over to diffuse the situation. After I had everyone sitting and eating their lunch I went to my supervisor, Mr. S. I was told by him to let him deal with it in the future so that I could remain unbiased. I agreed. I wish I hadn't.

     Over the next several weeks Rigel was tormented. They started by name calling, moved on to cursing and spitting, then started in on Ara. These boys were the most rude disrespectful kids in the school. Every single time they did something I informed Mr. S. Every time I was told something was being done about it. I trusted the school, I had no reason not too.
     When they started getting physical is when I started getting concerned. One boy pushed Rigel down, so Rigel got up and hit him. Guess who was punished? It wasn't the boy that pushed, that's right, it was Rigel! There were many instances similar to this, except Rigel would just walk away. I reported every one. Why wasn't anyone stopping these boys? At parent/teacher conference I learned what some of the problem was. I was told by the teacher that she didn't believe any bullying was going on. She said that boys will be boys and they needed to learn to figure it out on there own. She told me that Rigel was just as much an instigator as the other boys. Okay, Rigel isn't an angel, he's got a big mouth, maybe she was right? WRONG!!!! I should have gone with what I know was right.
     Yesterday, according to these five boys that have been tormenting Rigel and Ara, Rigel threatened to bring a gun to school and "shoot every one of them one by one". Rigel told me he didn't say it, I believe him. The police were called, interviews happened and charges were pressed. Rigel was suspended for three days. I told the police about all the bullying instances. Not a single one had been recorded by administration. Three of these 5 kids were teachers own children.
     Rigel is being punished for being bullied. He had a trumpet blown in his ear. He's been spat upon numerous times. He's had balls thrown at him. He's been pushed, he's been kicked in the behind, he's been reported for doing things that he didn't do just to get him in trouble. The only person that stood up for him was his sister. My hands were tied. He's been suspended. Spread his message, stop the bullying, stand up for some one! Call Canyon Grove Academy in Pleasant grove, Utah. Tell them to stop the bullying, don't let this happen to another child. You can email them too at office@canyongrove.com.