My son Nicholas has always had a tender heart. It’s the thing I love best about him. At 13, he is now struggling to balance the “macho” role that society expects of him with the caring soul inside who still wants to shelter and feed all the homeless people and rescue every stray kitten. I am pleased and proud to report that his compassion and kindness are holding their own, despite the inevitable changes and influences accompanying his entry into the “terrible teens.” One such example of his inherent goodness reared its lovely head last Christmas.
It actually began earlier, when my son became the silent advocate of two underprivileged brothers who attend his school. Junior high is tough on anyone; for Chad and Derek Williams, it is a daily nightmare. They are the smallest and two of the poorest students at Nick’s school. They are picked on constantly by other kids, and wear the same threadbare, outdated, hand-me-down clothes every day. They live alone with their mother in a tidy but small and somewhat shabby home. Although their mother is a hard-working woman, she rarely has enough money left over to pay for shoes, clothing, and haircuts for the boys—and virtually nothing for the “luxuries” that most teenagers take for granted, like a pizza and movie out with friends.
Nicholas has always been sensitive to the plight of others. He notices inequities and hurt feelings that most teenagers, even many adults, miss. Nick immediately grasped the pain and embarrassment that Chad and Derek lived with on a daily basis. They quickly became the subjects of his worries and prayers. And he appointed himself their secret guardian.
Every Christmas our family is the “Secret Santa” for a less-fortunate family. Last Christmas, as is our custom, we held a family meeting to identify possible candidates for our Secret Santa mission, and then we all cast our votes. The majority of us voted for a disabled family friend, another single mom with two teenagers. But not Nicholas. He voted for Chad and Derek’s family. I could see the steely determination and earnest concern in his blue-gray eyes. We discussed the needs of each family. Again we voted. Again the majority vote went to the other family. Nick was the only holdout. He resolutely stuck to his decision to help the Williams boys.
I felt torn. I didn’t want to squelch my son’s desire to make a difference in the lives of other people, and I knew how important this family was to him. I also felt we couldn’t afford to provide for two families. My husband and I conferred privately, and we made a decision: we would do Secret Santa for both families.
Nicholas’ eyes lit up, and his toothy grin made my heart soar. Though I didn’t know how we were going to do it, I knew it was the right thing—that I would do everything in my power to fulfill Nick’s selfless Christmas wish.
