The Attitude Does Matter.

Positive Attitude

A few weeks ago, our first born child graduated from high school and so we, as parents, attended the graduation ceremony in celebration.  Our first born definitely worked hard in school and achieved a great deal and is getting a good scholarship as well to good school   The ceremony itself though, left a bit to be desired though.

During that ceremony, the principle laid out a lot of ground rules including such rules as

• Don't clap or make noise when you hear your child's name being called or we will escort you from the building
• Stay for the entire ceremony.  
• Respect the process

The keynote speaker was a local politician and here are some of the highlights from his speech that I remember.

• Make your bed
• Brush your teeth
• Clean your fingernails
• Don't think you're entitled
• Keep your nose clean
• Put your head down and work and someone will notice you.

Apparently, this was what he thought the students needed to know to get into life.  There was no mention of the good work that the students did in the school and no congratulations for getting through high school and no expression of confidence in the student body at all.

I talked about it with my wife and we later found someone who went to the same high school and had graduated about a year prior and he stated that he head the very same speech from the very same local politician.  

Listening to this, I thought to myself.  "Well, no wonder we can't find much in the way of support for autism in this town. The leaders of the community not only find that too inconvenient, they also find it inconvenient to inspire the children or anyone else".

So what do we do for inspiration?

We, as parents have to set a much better example than the poor example I heard at graduation.  We have to reach down inside ourselves and reach out to our Lord for the inspiration and for hope.  For the Lord did take young Joseph from slave to second in command of Egypt in spite of all of the evil that was done to him.   The Lord can take anything and make it work and work well.

So, with that in mind, we must remind ourselves and our children that their work and their lives mean something and that they are worth much more than the words of the politicians.