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Resources - Children's Pages
October 2001
Kids’ Page
MAKING CHOICES
Anne Groenenboom
“Mum! Mum!” Amy came bursting through the back door with Chloe Jackson,
her friend from next door, close behind her. “Mum, where are you?”
“I’m here in the kitchen, Amy,” Mum replied. “What ‘s all the fuss about?”
Amy explained, “Miss Wells, one of the 6th grade teachers, is going to
teach jazz ballet each Monday at lunchtime and we have to have a
permission note to be in the group. Please say that I can join, please,
Mum!” Amy begged as she hopped excitedly from one foot to another.
“Calm down Amy! We’ll have to find out what’s involved before we can
give you permission,” Mum said firmly.
“But Mum, everyone else is allowed to,” Amy wailed. “Mrs Jackson says Chloe can join and all my friends are in the group!”
“Well, first you’ll have to find out what you’ll need and how much it will cost,” Mum replied.
“It doesn’t cost anything and we can wear our sports uniform... and we
have sport on Monday afternoons, anyway, so it shouldn’t be a bother.”
Amy stated triumphantly. She wiggled impatiently until Mum nodded, then
she gave her a big bear hug.
On Monday afternoon, after school, Amy showed the family what Miss Wells
had been teaching the group. Next, she showed Carla what to do and soon
the two girls were dancing to a tape that Amy had brought home to
practise with. Mum commented that it looked like good exercise and told
Chris he ought to try it too. Chris snorted and slouched further down
into his chair, replying that he had to read a book for an assignment.
It was the first time he’d been glad to have homework to do. He
certainly wasn’t going to try that sissy dancing!
A few weeks later, Amy came home with a note from Miss Wells, saying
that the jazz ballet group were going to perform at the school assembly
and parents were invited to come and see them. The only problem was that
Amy needed a leotard and she didn’t have one.
“I won’t be able to be in the group if I don’t have a leotard! Why can’t
we buy one?” Amy pleaded. Mum replied that she’d see what she could get
at the op shop, but that didn’t suit Amy either. “The other girls all
have leotards with sparkly patterns on them and you won’t be able to get
anything like that at the op shop!” she wailed. By this time Mum was
looking rather frazzled, but she told Amy to wait and see what she could
do.
The next day, when Amy came home from school, she was delighted when Mum
showed her a pretty blue leotard with glittery patterns on it. Mum
explained that she’d gone with Mrs Jackson to the op shop and they both
bought plain leotards which they decorated with Chloe’s glitter paints.
Amy wanted to try her leotard on straight away, but she had to wait
until the glitter paint was completely dry. When Mum went to the
assembly, she was surprised to see just how good the group was and she
congratulated Amy and Chloe afterwards.
A week later, Amy came home with another note saying that the girls had
been booked to dance in the local shopping centre one Saturday morning
in a few weeks’ time. Extra practices would be needed and parents were
asked to get together to decide what the girls should wear and how to
have their hair done. Amy was very excited and she couldn’t understand
why Mum looked concerned.
“I’m not sure I like this, Amy,” she explained. “The jazz ballet sounded
like a good idea and it certainly is good exercise for you, but I think
things could easily get out of hand. I’ll go to the meeting, but I’m not
making any promises.”
After the meeting, Mum came home with a grim look on her face and Amy
following tearfully behind her, pleading for her mother to change her
mind.
“It’s no use, Amy. I know you’re disappointed, but apart from the fact that we don’t really have the money to spare for the kind of fancy outfits and hair pieces that most of those mothers were talking about, the practices on Sunday mornings are definitely out of the question! You know we all go to church on Sundays.”
Amy nodded miserably. “I don’t want to go to practices on Sunday and I won’t mind if I don’t dance in the shopping centre, but Miss Wells said we couldn’t be in the group if we didn’t attend all the practices,” she sniffed. “Please, Mum, I don’t want to be put out of the group!”
When Mum promised she’d write to Miss Wells explaining their problem and
asking that Amy be allowed to stay in the group, Amy brightened up.
Amy came home from school the next afternoon with tears streaming down
her cheeks. “The practices are definitely going to be on Sundays and
Miss Wells is really cross with me. She told me I was letting the whole
team down if I didn’t go with them. Now most of my friends are picking
on me and saying I’m going to spoil everything!” Amy sobbed bitterly as
Mum gave her a hug and tried to comfort her. Then there was a knock on
the door and Mrs Jackson came in, followed by Chloe. Mrs Jackson put her
arms around Amy and hugged her too.
“Chloe is so upset about the way Amy was treated at school today that
she doesn’t want to be in the group any more,” Mrs Jackson explained. “I
didn’t like the idea of Sunday practices, but I was prepared to allow
Chloe to participate just this once and I realise now that I was wrong.
Chloe has decided for herself about this and I’m glad she’s sticking
with Amy.”
“Thank you both for being such good friends!” Mum said and Amy noticed
she had tears in her eyes, too, as she spoke to Chloe, “I know you and
Amy love the dancing classes and I’m sorry this had to happen. Most
people these days don’t care what Christians believe, but that doesn’t
mean we have to go along with them. We have to stand up for what we
believe in, even if they make a fuss.”
“I’ve had an idea that might help us with our problem!” Mrs Jackson
announced. “Why don’t we start our own aerobics group? I’ve taught
aerobics before and some of the movements are almost the same as jazz
ballet. I’m sure the girls will enjoy it just as much. I’ve been
thinking of joining an exercise group, but that would do just as well.”
The girls nodded happily and Mum said she could do with the exercise,
too.
When Dad came home from work, Mum told him what had happened and they
both told Amy how pleased they were with her for not making a big fuss.
“Lots of people don’t care about keeping the Lord’s Day special, the way we do and they just don’t understand that we enjoy meeting together on Sundays to praise God and learn about what His Word teaches us,” Dad commented.
“I’ll write another note to Miss Wells, explaining why you can’t go to
the Sunday practices,” Mum added. “Maybe she won’t be so cross with you
then.”
The aerobics classes were great fun. Mrs Jackson lent Mum a practice
video so she and Amy could practise at home whenever they wanted to.
When Mum and Amy showed Dad what they were doing, Dad asked if he and
Chris could join in too. Chris stared at his father in amazement. All
his friends would laugh at him if they knew he was dancing! No matter
what Mum and Dad said, there was no way he’d be in anything like that!
“Don’t be silly, Chris!” Dad told him. “Lots of sportspeople do aerobics to keep fit.”
Chris looked at his father doubtfully and said he’d think about it. Sure
enough, on the news that night he saw one of the top football teams
doing something that looked suspiciously like Mum’s and Amy’s aerobics
as a warm down exercise, so he began to think it might not be too bad
after all. When Chris tried the activities, he was surprised to find
that he was enjoying himself.
From then on, the whole family often enjoyed doing aerobics together and
even Joel joined in, hopping from one foot to the other with great
delight.
“The best thing about this is that while we’re getting lots of exercise,
we can all enjoy doing something together as a family!” Dad remarked and
everyone agreed.
SOMETHING TO DO :
Together with your family, read Luke 16:19–31 and discuss what it means
(a) for believers and
(b) for people who don’t want to bother doing things God’s way.
Think of the people you know who don’t want to be bothered with Jesus.
Pray for them and tell them why it’s so important for them to get to
know Him.
Why not get an aerobics tape or video and spend some time doing aerobics
with your family. You’ll have heaps of fun together!
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