#and don't just see them as something to be 'kept busy' or as free labor/babysitting for younger nuisances
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#random personal stuff#I get it everyone in church wants to fuss over the babies#who are very cute and I'm glad that they're loved! they should be!#but I'd like to put in a good word *also* for a group who tend to get overlooked and undervalued#and that's older kids#once you get past baby age in the church circles I'm familiar with#you are no longer an object of adoration and are now a nuisance a burden and a problem that needs to be suppressed and contained#parents will openly complain about them and heaven forbid anyone reach adolescence because then they're regarded as next-door to a monster#and not many people are really listening to older kids or thinking about what they might need as human beings#which is connection and knowing that people give a darn about them personally#and don't just see them as something to be 'kept busy' or as free labor/babysitting for younger nuisances#I have the most interesting conversations with these kids#they're bright and hilarious and passionate about all kinds of things#and they're dealing with more than most adults seem to realize or take seriously#I remember being that age very vividly and the adult whom I wanted to be around the most was my aunt whenever she visited#because she actually took the time to listen to me and put up my jawing about [current obsession]#probably took a lot of patience on her part but I appreciated it so much#it made me feel like I mattered#sometimes the kids at church will talk to me and I want to be for them the kind of adult my aunt was for me#they ARE worth listening to!#everybody at every stage of life is worth caring about
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