The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

PAMELA DE LA ROSA
TED DOOLIN, TEACHER
William H. Ohrenberger School, Boston, MA
If you asked someone, “What do you think courage means?” or “What does it
mean to be courageous?” they would probably say it means doing something
that may scare or terrify you. What courage means to me is to have strength in
any situation, whether it’s upsetting, scary, or disturbing, even if you don’t want
to face it. You are courageous when, even if you’re grieving, hurting, and scared
of what might happen next, you’ll still do it. That is what courage means to me.
Many people are courageous. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa
Parks showed courage. They both stood up for what they believed in, which was
justice. They both made a change during the discriminatory time they lived in.
They are both remembered to this day.
Last year, I experienced something I never had before. On September 15, 2023,
I got pulled from class. My mom was there to pick me up, though I didn’t have
an appointment that day. She told me not to worry, and that I had an
appointment she forgot to tell me about. Mom had an odd look on her face.
She looked like there was something she wasn’t telling me, as if she were
worried. I brushed it off. When we arrived at my therapist, I was still confused.
My mom walked in with me. We sat down. Then that’s when they told me.
Mom had gotten a call from the hospital that day, and they said that my dad
was dead. I did not believe them at first. There was no way, right? He was in a
brutal car accident in late July. He was in and out of the hospital, until he
stayed. My dad fought and fought until the day he died. I was devastated. After
they told me, I was quiet. Quieter than I had ever been before. That was all I
wanted to hear—the silence.
“I DIDN’T TELL ANYONE
HOW I FELT—UNTIL
TODAY. WRITING
THIS DOESN’T MAKE
ME FEEL THE BEST,
BUT IT DOES LET ME
GET SOME THINGS
OFF OF MY CHEST. ”
Coping has been a struggle for me. But it’s nice to know that there are people
who are by my side, and that there are people in the world who have been
through what I’ve been through. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone, and other
people should know that, too. So, in my opinion, being courageous or showing
courage is something that everyone should and can do. Courage means to have
strength, no matter the situation, even when you’re really scared or hurting
inside. I am pretty familiar with showing courage.
I went home, and I stayed in my room and didn’t want to leave. It was my safe
place. At that moment, I began thinking and thinking about how different my
life was about to become. How was I supposed to live without him? How was I
supposed to cope with this news? How was the rest of my family coping with it?
Since that day, I haven’t felt the same. I started being angrier, but not at myself,
at the world. I yelled more often, mostly at my mom, even though I shouldn’t
have. My mom is the person I trust the most, but in those moments, I didn’t
trust her. I also felt like the world was out to get me, or like every bad thing in
life was because of me. I didn’t tell anyone how I felt—until today. Writing this
doesn’t make me feel the best, but it does let me get some things off of my chest.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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