What do you do if a child comes to you with a question about this year’s tagline for the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon? It’s on his t-shirt, and it says “Save the Kids!” I’d have to sympathize with him.
Because if I’d were a kid, I’d wonder why I need to be saved.  “Oh, I can’t wear this t-shirt. What if some minister, you know the ones in the business of saving people, reads my t-shirt? He’d pluck me out of a crowd and do his saving in front of my friends. Then he’ll get all proud of me and start tellin’ people I’d want to be a minister when I grow up because I was wearin’ this t-shirt that says “save the kids!” I’d have to tell him I think my saving is different from his saving.”
 
Seriously, I’d tell the kids there are all these things that can happen to some children — some of whom might be their friends — and a lot of them will end up at the hospital. Even though these kids may have more guts and determination than we do, they probably feel lonely — and a sense of despair. So, the triathlon is an opportunity for our kids to do something for them. The fees we pay to participate in the race may, to name a few fun things, get a clown into a child’s room at the hospital.
The triathlon — in and of itself – is a single act of compassion. It is not only a mark of a tri-athlete but it is also a mark of a compassionate human being.
 
So, if I had an opportunity to revise the tagline for a new t-shirt, I’d suggest something like: “Do something useful. Be a champion for others. Do it quietly. And do it anonymously.”
 
And if I were a kid, I’d wear this new t-shirt as another act of compassion. Maybe it’ll remind people to do something else useful other than complain. Plus, this t-shirt might save me from that minister.
Related Stories
‹
Pears
It seems to me eating practical and necessary food, like fruits and vegetables, and eating more of them than bread and meat is one of the most difficult habits to absorb into our children’s daily meal routine. And there’s plenty of advice to getting your child to eat more of these healthy foods. Jessica Seinfeld, […]
Unrestrained Joy
Something happens when your kids go back to school. Your life, if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad, becomes a conveyor belt. You, your kids get up, eat, they leave for school, you restore your house to some sort of order, volunteer, do some contractual work, they return from school, eat, do homework, and eat […]
What Was That? No Way, It Couldn't Have Been An Earthquake!
Everyone I spoke with yesterday felt the tremors but immediately dismissed the notion they had experienced an earthquake. A friend thought the guy with the leaf blower outside her condominium had something to do with the tremors. How? I don’t know. Another person blamed it on his daughter, thinking she was “shaking the car” on […]
Can You See Her, A Little Girl?
Has Your Child Ever Seen Animals in the Sky? It seems to me we’ve been seeing a lot of clouds these past few weeks — and one thing I love doing with the kids is to look for animals or whatever we think we can see in the sky. Our children believe this cloud in […]
In Memory of My Friend’s Mother
How to Help Your Child, At Any Age, Comfort Someone? Yesterday I picked some Queen Anne’s Laces alongside the road for a friend whose dying mother believes her bed sheets are made of lace. “They are so soft, so beautiful,” she told my friend who in turn told me this story. As common, noxious and […]
The Power of Rice
Rice — and An Opportunity for Your Child to Volunteer   Did you know that one cup of rice can relieve hunger? Get your kids to take a bag or two of rice to the local food pantry based in Carrboro. It’s located at the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service down the street from Wendy’s […]
What Animal Does Your Child Want to Be?
Beetles. I’m guessing beetles. My four-year-old gets them and I get the goose bumps if I don’t get to her first. She’s like a mad scientist, with her swim goggles, messy hair, flipping over rocks in her search for beetles. Yesterday she twisted herself in a yoga pose to get close to a Rhinoceros beetle […]
›