In today’s world the idea behind the question of “Who is my Neighbor?” is just as important now as it was over 2000 years ago. As a father concerned about parenting issues, the answer to this question may provide us with the answer to many of the problems that exist in our modern world.
Today’s children have it tough. Being the social creatures that we are, making friends is very important. The bonds we share with people during the course of our lives benefit us in incalculable ways. What if making friends was a challenge? What if you moved around a lot and were never able to form those deep bonds that are so important to our lives?
The Problem
I came across one such story told to me by a friend. It concerned her grandson, who was having a difficult time making friends in a new school. The 4th graders in the school had already formed their groups or cliques and this young pile of awesomeness was the odd kid out.
A year passed and he was still unable to form any good relationships with the other kids. Attempts were made to address the issue by the parents and the grand parent. The school principal was also involved, but very little progress on this was made.
The young boy suffered stress and some depression over the issue. As a father, this is something that really called out to me. What can be done about this? What parenting resources are there for this? How can we relieve this young soul of this stress and give him a chance to form the social bonds that are so important to our lives?
The Good Samaritan
It is written when Jesus was asked the question “who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Solution
My Neighbor Events. A free parenting resource based locally in Queens, NY, My Neighbor Events is a place for parents to find other parents with children who want to make friends but are having some challenges. To create a social space that will allow our children to form friendships in a safe environment with no pressure. Through this page we will set up free events at the park or online to help facilitate that first encounter between kids. After that, the kids do the rest of the work.
Some examples of activities are play at the park, where kids get to know each other while playing fun games. Photography in the park, an intro to nature photography. We will also provide online role-playing where kids can be the hero in their own story through collaborative storytelling.
I also encourage parents to speak with each other and share contact information. This way your children can continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship outside of the event.
So if you have an interest in attending one of these free parenting resource events, please send me a message to my Facebook page My Neighbor Events. In the meantime, like and share my page. Tell your friends about My Neighbor Events.
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