I learned something valuable when I first helped at VBS all those years ago: There's a YOUTH WEEK each summer! I really liked Pastor Ben and made a mental note that Shane should go when he's old enough.
This year, Shane's old enough! I noted the day sign-ups opened on my calendar so I wouldn't forget to sign him up!
There was a big storm Day 1. There was a lull as we drove up, but there were downed power lines on our way into town.
Youth Week was for 7th-12th graders. Think of it as VBS scaled up for older kids. There are Bible lessons, but there's are crazy games, teams that earn points, and lots and lots of screaming (Sounds perfect for Shane, right?).
Youth Week was M-F from 6-9 PM. It's half an hour each way for me, so instead of spending another hour driving I popped open the laptop. I tried to work on writing fiction instead of the blog.
It was a rainy day and the car kept steaming up, so I'd prop the door open from time to time.
When I went into find Shane, the kids were doing tug-of-war. He was a wild, cheering, sweaty mess! He came absolutely pumped! I was so excited, because he was so excited which made him more excited! Success!
The kids had to report back to the Youth Group worship room before they could go. There was a raffle for gift cards and Shane's team won the most spirit award for the day. All the kids on the team jumped up and were screaming and shouting (and Shane was definitely amongst them!)
The bad news was Shane was the only middle school boy on his team. Most the kids were older and/or girls. Still, he was having fun!
Youth Week was more important than swim practice to me. Thankfully, there was an afternoon practice Tuesday.
I drove Shane in and he got to swim around, but the water was extra cold after all the rain.
It rained all week. I was debating whether or not to make Shane go to the meet on Wednesday when I really wanted him at Youth Week. I was obligated to volunteer a certain amount of times and he was going to miss half of the meets already.
Thankfully, it was cancelled! The rain kept up all week and I got to send Shane to Youth Week each day without feeling guilty we were skipping out on swimming.
I went by Starbucks Day 2. I didn't want to spend any money, but I wanted to try and sit somewhere else than the parking lot.
1) I kept seeing students I knew! I was hoping to write and not be social, so I admit I waited until they were gone.
2) I didn't realize Starbucks played so much loud music. I did get some writing done (and enjoyed a matcha latte), but I decided it wasn't worth going back (especially since it closed at 8 and I needed to stay busy until 9!).
The kids were outside when I scooted back to the church.
It looked like another grand time! Shane was slightly discouraged this time. He liked the games and his team, but he hadn't found anyone to buddy up to. He's really good about getting hyped and making an impression, but until he gets better at actively listening to other people he's going to have trouble getting beyond the acquaintance friends to close friends with anyone. It can still happen with time and the right connection, but Shane said none of the other kids go to his school.
Shane was still up for Day 3 (Not that I'd let him run off!). Carrie came with this time. She and I went to the Dairy Market and had dinner out while Shane was busy.
We pulled out a phone, shared headphones, and watched some anime after we were done!
Thursday went well. I don't have pictures since there's not really observers at Youth Week (Shane needs the independence practice anyway). I ran errands like going out to Lowe's to pick up supplies for Carrie's barn project.
Friday was special. I wanted to get the Subaru serviced before the drive to meet up with Nana and Pop. I woke up early and went into town to drop it off. Carrie and Shane picked me up later and we went to see a movie! I'd bought some gift cards for Alamo from Costco. It was $75 for $100 in cards (which was a good deal and a good economics lesson for Shane).
We saw Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse!
The good news: It was a fantastic movie except that it was really a Part 1 of 2. Hopefully, Part 2 delivers (whenever it's actually released!). It was still worth seeing and a fun time.
The bad news: Carrie got in a fender bender on the way home. She dropped Shane and I off to pick up the Subaru (He rode with me to listen to Tristian Strong) and got rear ended on the way home. She drove over to a parking lot to switch information and Shane and I never saw her even though we drove the same route!
Carrie was okay and the damage looked mainly cosmetic. We popped the bumper back in and Carrie took it to a shop to get the estimate for the insurance pay out.
But back to Youth Week. Again, I don't have pictures since I couldn't go in. All I have pictures of are the busted box from the equipment I picked up this time...
...and when one of the volunteers asked if I could move my car to help block off the road when the kids played outside.
Friday was rough. Two kids showed up from Shane's school. One was a bully and the other was his "yes-man." In one of the first games, the kids from all the teams were supposed to jump and try to drag something to their side. Shane was the only middle school boy alone on the four teams. He jumped on top of the object like a wild man (Typical for him! Ha!), but he said that Mason kept hitting/punching him over the head to make him let go. Shane said he told an adult, but no one listened or spoke up for him. He ran off to the bathroom because he had a bloody nose and was upset. Eventually, they found him and had him come back out.
But it wasn't quite done. Shane was mad and bumped his shoulder into Mason when he walked past him later. Mason ran up behind him and pushed him to the ground. The adults saw that and it went no further. It left Shane with a sour taste in his mouth. While I didn't think shoulder bumping the kid from behind was wise, I was glad that Shane wasn't allowing himself to remain a victim, though.
Fast forward to the future: I did get a call from the current Youth Pastor a few days later. We talked for a little bit about what happened. Some kids HAD come to him after the first incident. He did pull the kid aside, so I felt a little better. I told Shane later, too, because I wanted him to know that people had spoken up for him even if he wasn't aware of it.
I don't think that miraculously resolves everything. I do hope the kid starts attends this youth group regularly. As long as he's not so toxic the youth group has to protect the other kids, the church is a place for people who need healing. Bullies normally have been bullied or gone through something themselves.
That said, if Shane has ANY classes with the kid next year, I'm going to demand a schedule change. ASAP! They're a proven bad match and I want Shane to have a safe school environment.
There was a second reason for the Pastor's call, as well. Shane was signed up to be a volunteer for VBS (more on that later). The Pastor mentioned that Shane did lie on the ground and roll around some on Monday... He said that Shane got up when he asked, but he needed to know if Shane was going to be helpful at VBS or if he'd be a distraction (which was a fair point). I told him that Shane does have trouble with kids his age (especially when he's overstimulated), but that he's amazing with younger kids and is super helpful with all his younger cousins, etc. If he was a problem, he could be told that we needed more help in my class and moved to "help" where I was. The Pastor thought that sounded great and you'll hear more about VBS when I get to that post in July.
Aside from the sour ending note, I think Youth Week went well. I've asked Shane if he'd want to try out Youth Group at the new church, but he said, "Nah." I may force a trial run if he complains about his current Youth Group at some point, but I'm happy to leave it as is for now.
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