Champions

"God will raise me up a champion."
- Sir Walter Scott

At Brain Highways the staff calls each child a champion. They recognize that the children in this class have probably heard or felt other labels; perhaps they have been called the difficult one, the loud child, the annoying student, and so forth, but the staff strips away those judging words and phrases and look at what's underneath any discomforting behaviors: a child who is doing their best to connect with the world and succeed. The idea of a champion so caught my attention that I looked up the full definition in Merriam Webster:

Champion:  from the Medieval Latin campion, - campio of West Germanic origin: akin to Old English cempa (warrior), first known use in the 13th century. 1. warrior, fighter 2. a militant advocate or defender, i.e. a champion of civil rights 3. one that does battle for another's rights or honor 4. a winner of first prize or first place in competition

Note that the definition we think of first in 21st America - a winner of first prize - is listed last. The primary meaning descends from the word's origins:  a warrior or defender, especially one who does battle for another's rights.  From reading articles about parenting and articles around doing my own therapy I know that each child is usually assigned a role in their household - the strong one, the quiet one, the troublemaker, the needy one, etc. These roles often correlate to birth order, and can play a serious role in shaping the child/s approach to life.

What if I replaced any role for my children except 'champion'? We wouldn't have the strong oldest, the quiet middle, or the boisterous youngest, we wouldn't have a difficult child or an easy one, we would just have three champions, all part of a team. By that I mean we would all support each other in standing up for our own rights as individuals, that we would defend the rights of those who are weaker, needier or helpless, and we would battle for fairness and equity in the world. The outcome of competitions and tests would not matter, just the amount of effort that went into preparation and playing. I think that's a role that any child could rise into, could fill for the maximum benefit of themselves and others.