An Old Article

I had an English house-mate from 1993-1995.  He was a graduate student at the University of Richmond, and we always got along great.  He taught me about 'real' beer and how to play tennis.  I remained his friend even after his gf came to live with us.  For three long months.  (Did I mention she was extremely selfish and a lousy cook?)  He put decidedly British message on the answering machine and introduced me to Monty Python.  I helped him figure out his spirituality, and supported him when the above-mentioned gf broke up with him.  He introduced me to Daniella. . .but that's another entry.

At some point, he met one of my former youth who was finishing his Army training at a local base.  Soon after that, my house-mate decided to write an article for the UR newsletter.  An excerpt, with name changes, follows:

The relationship we have with our children is a very wonderful thing.  However, it also can be a confusing and difficult time in our lives.  David ****, the minister with youth and children at **** Baptist Church in Petersburg, has had plenty of experience with the complexities of dealing with children.

He expresses the need for a significant adult or peer besides the parent to become involved in the life of the child.

'A child,' he explains,'will naturally push against his/her parents in varying degrees in an effort to form an individual identity.  During this formative period, it is an enormous help for the child to have someone else on whom to test their ideas.'

Jeff ****, a private in the U.S. Army, was in one of David's youth groups seven years ago.  He recounts what a significant role David has played in his life.

'I felt that I could tell [David] anything and he wouldn't judge me for it.  He always listened and he always kept his word,' says Jeff.  'If it wasn't for [David] I would have kept those ideas and secrets inside of me.  There are some things that you just can't tell your parents or friends.'

David describes his job as holding out a hand to children and then walking through life with them.

'I'm not a magician and I can't promise that I can fix everything,' he says, 'but I can be there to invest a little of my time and energy in them.  I'm certainly not there to work in confrontation with the wishes of the parents, but in conjunction with their efforts to bring up their child in the best possible manner.'