The Result of Patriotism....

The battle is over. We decided that it was not worth it to stay at a school that did not support our son's desire to be patriotic. I don't know how it is possible that in our country, in my town there is a place where a boy's desire to say the pledge of allegiance can cause him to look for a new school. I do know that after having his patriotism compared to being a fascist I no longer felt it was worth it to pursue a middle ground. That just ended it for me. When I explained to Ben what being a fascist was he was pretty much over trying to "fix" this too. The school can continue to say the "Earth Pledge" and we can go somewhere else. This is the compromise of our country. They have the right to feel the way they do, and we have the right to move on. What a lesson my ten year old son has learned.
     It has not been a lesson learned without cost. He has suffered nightmares and increased anxiety due to the sudden and unexpected change. He has spent many days crying over the loss of his friends and his beloved aide. Yet somehow in all of this he has come out ahead. He kept his love of this country, the love of the flag and the UN-ending support of his friends and family. The director of the school had told me during a phone conversation regarding this matter that perhaps Ben would learn that he doesn't always get what he wants. I was offended at this because it shows that she feels we give in to our son at every whim, and that this was a fight he would loose and he needed to accept that. That night our family had a big discussion about what it means to win. Would it be worth the anguish to try and stay at a place that felt so differently than we did? Would it be worth the months of fighting and arguing just to say a twelve second pledge? In the grand scheme of things. Yes. It would be, however in the grand scheme of Ben......not so worth it. A sensitive soul with no impulse control is really not cut out for a political show down.
     I had many friends suggest we should take this matter to the media. That perhaps with a little negative attention the school would change their ways. Sounds great except for the previous mentioned boy with no impulse control and no filter. He would be a disaster in an interview! 
     We have toured a new school, checked for a flag on the wall and have a meeting scheduled for next week. We are ready for the change and the stress it will cause for Ben. He is excited because according to him this new school has a "way better playground"
I am glad. I am grateful for the opportunity this little event has presented us. Ben will have a new start, a new chance at public school. He will be able to hold his head high and look in the mirror knowing he is not a person who backs down from his beliefs. He can be proud even while he is scared.