NKOTB

If the title of today’s reflection piqued your interest, then I know you and I were listening to the same music circa the late 1980’s. In case you are unfamiliar, NKOTB refers to the boy band New Kids On The Block, which debuted in the 1980’s. You or your daughter or niece may have crushed on one of the members such as Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, the Knight brothers, or Danny Wood.

NKOTB got me thinking this week.

As I recently gathered with many new faces at a faculty-staff retreat, I felt like the new kid on the block. It’s such a different perspective to be the new kid rather than the seasoned veteran. It’s a blessing to experience things with a new perspective, fresh eyes, and open heart and mind. It’s also a bit overwhelming when things are new and there’s a learning curve each direction you look.

But I wasn’t alone.

A couple days after the retreat, two of my children were NKOTB at their new schools.

Children new to preschool or new to Kindergarten this fall are new kids.

All children are new to their respective grade and classes this time of year. There is a newness that is undeniable for all of them.

How about students who have not been in a school building for almost a year and a half? Undoubtedly, there is a feeling of newness as they get back into routine with in-person learning.

Teachers are starting the new school year. Whether it’s their first year or 31st year, there is a newness.

Across the table from me at the retreat was a coworker and fellow mom who was going to be a “new kid” in the sense that she was moving her first child off to college this week. She was new to the world of saying goodbye to a child at college.

There are certainly other situations in our life when we feel like the “new kid.” Maybe you have become a caretaker for a loved one. Maybe you’ve taken on a new role or started a new routine. Is there something new in your life that has required an adjustment by you? New experiences can make us feel like the new kid.

My simple conclusion from all of this is that we need to pray for one another.

We are all new kids in one way or another. We should be Hangin’ Tough, together in prayer.

Below is a prayer for our children, which is just as relevant to each one of us:

Loving God,

You are the giver of all we possess,

the source of all of our blessings.

We thank and praise you.

Thank you for the gift of our children.

Help us to set boundaries for them,

and yet encourage them to explore.

Give us the strength and courage to treat

each day as a fresh start.

May our children come to know you, the one true God,

and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

May your Holy Spirit help them to grow

in faith, hope, and love,

so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.

May their ears hear your voice.

May their eyes see your presence in all things.

May their lips proclaim your word.

May their hearts be your dwelling place.

May their hands do works of charity.

May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ,

your Son and our Lord.

Amen.

(A Parent’s Prayer, Loyola Press)