Our Little Gents

We seem to focus more on the younger children at Roots & Wings. Let’s face it, they are super cute and full of surprises each day.

But our older boys are not to be left out. All of our children ages 5 and up are boys.

Our little gents.

They are tough and sweet all at the same time. They hold the door open for staff and babies. They can talk about soccer FOREVER. They sometimes take naps.

They draw dinosaurs with blood dripping from their teeth and parks with lots of pretty flowers. They make gifts for the staff and make sure to tell each staff member that their gift was made with a whole lot of love. And right now, they are learning about what it means to have a Godly character.

At the end of each week, our boys get to choose the following week’s trait. It is a serious discussion; they read over the list and discuss among themselves what we should study next.

They are learning what it looks like to embody each trait and they are tasked with putting them into practice. They are learning to face the world in a completely different way than what they see at home or in their community.

 

Yes, they make mistakes. Yes, they sometimes flop. Yes, some days you almost feel like they didn’t hear a word you said. They are children; it kind of goes with the territory.

 

But then there are the other days and moments. The times when you see the Godly men these little guys will grow to become.

 

The day Fidel started helping Eliazar tie his shoes. The times Eliazar notices that he is getting frustrated and decides to stop and pray. The day when Alfredo and Fidel sat facing each other discussing why they were angry and hurt by the other, ending their whole big talk with hugs and forgiveness.