Playground trash

On Tuesday just as I was arriving at the school carpool line Joshua said, "Pray someone plays with me on the playground today." So I ask, "Are the boys not playing with you?" And he says, "Well, I told them not to." Hmmmm.... So I ask, "Why would you do that?" And he says, "Well, they were telling secrets. Then they asked me if I had a girlfriend. Then they asked me if I had a girlfriend so I could have s-e-x." Then a piece of my heart fell off and shattered. Then I told Jack who was yelling profusely, "That is crazy! They were talking about s-e-x? That's crazy! Dad is the only person you are allowed to talk to about s-e-x. You aren't even suppose to know about s-e-x until Dad tells you about it. Those boys are awful. Don't be friends with them!" And on and on. So Jack went to school mad, which made Josh mad, too. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to pick up the broken pieces of my heart. Lydie was playing with a Barbie, clueless. No harm done there! And Andy was 20 miles away on a tractor out of cell coverage.

So I said a quick prayer and dug in. This moment is what all those nights of prayer are for, after all, right? I looked at Josh and smile and touched his sweet little tense shoulders. "Well, Joshua. Here's what I think. You have no idea what s-e-x even is. But I will tell you it has nothing to do with girlfriends. It has to do with husbands and wives and something an 8 year old boy should have no conversations or concerns about. Are you okay with waiting a few years before I tell you more about sex?" He nods. "Okay, so here's the plan. Those three boys seem to get in trouble a lot. Maybe you should help them when you can, play chase with them, etc. The Bible says that we are all sinful. You and I have the same sinful heart that they do, we're all in need of a Savior. So to honor God and keep from sinning, just flee evil. When they talk or act in a way that is not pleasing to God, just get away from them and find another friend." He nods and hugs me and apologizes for "all the trouble" (cause he's a sweetheart). We pray and I watch him walk into school with a stomach ache. I sit there stunned. Sex...second grade...Christian school? But why I am I stunned, really?

I go inside and find the teacher and let her know what happened. She says she is heart-broken and apologizes profusely. She says, "I know you didn't bring these sweet boys here in order for them to hear stuff like this." I think she might cry. She agrees to pray and handle it. I trust her.

On the way home I decide maybe this was all good. It was good to see the boys' passion for doing the right thing. It is good to be reminded to pray for their protection, as well as the other children's. It is good to remember the depravity of the human heart and how utterly dependent we are on the love of Jesus to transform us. And it was good to be in a situation where the boys and I were on a team together, with a plan. I needed a wake-up call.