When children no longer act like children

I have had what is probably the biggest shock of my parental life so far. This week my son tells me that there is a group of boys at his middle school that call themselves the Charlie Rape Gang. They corner boys in the locker room and dry hump them. They have also "thrown girls to the ground and humped them" as well. Where are the teachers? Administrators? How can this go on in schools and no one know about it?

That's the problem, they do. We live in a county that prides itself on the quality of its school system, and it's diligence in it's Zero Tolerance policy on bullying. So, what does a school do when they find out they have a problem? Quietly deal with it and sweep it under the rug. My neighbor's son is afraid to go to middle school next year because he is afraid of getting "raped".

I pray for the families that are involved. I pray for the safety of my son. I feel even more confident in my decision to home school my children next year.

One of the boys has a public FB page where he lists the CRG as his employer and under details it states "We will rape everyone that has a problem"

Some days are better than others

I have had quite possibly the hardest year of my life, thus far. There are times when I sit back and wonder if I will make it through. My faith has been my rock. One on which I lean on every minute of every day.
There was a woman the other day pointing out that no where in the Bible does it actually say that God will never give you more than you can handle. I disagree. Maybe not word for word. But there are plenty of scriptures that support it.
It has taken me years to realize that when I ask God to help me with a situation, His help may not come in a way that makes me happy. For instance, I used to continually pray for patience. I would have to wait everywhere that I went. Traffic would be bad. I would be tested by my family. Then I realized, He was giving me every opportunity to change my perspective and thus teaching me to be patient.
In my "walk of faith" there have been plenty of "why" or "how could you" moments. I am now at a point in my life where I have more "it will all work out" moments. I have friends that lift me up. My church is my second home. When I walk through those doors I can feel Him taking my burdens and opening my heart.
This year I have had to deal with deception and betrayal, anger and resentment, humiliation and degradation, fear and a desire for revenge. All emotions that show me that I am still walking! I feel confident that God revealed this situation to me at this time in my life because I had the support system to make it through. All I had to do was hand it over. We were not made to go through life alone. It was not easy. I wanted to give up. I wanted to get even. I wanted to hurt myself and I wanted to hurt others. I still have moments of sadness and anger. A friend of mine, a shining light through the darkness, took what I "gave" her and told me what to do. She actually made me! While my human emotions wanted me to go in one direction, my friend pointed out that I owed it to my family to try another way. My heart was closed off, but I took her advice and it has made a difference.
It is awesome that at times when I cannot hear Him, he sends me people that can.
While I still struggle, some days it's hard to even breathe, I know that my God will get me through it. When I have doubts, I take a quiet moment and listen with my soul. Cause, let's face it, our ears only hear what we let them.
"I believe in love, even when I don't feel it"