It Not Easy Bein "Me"

When I hear the popular children’s song, “It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green,” sung by the lovable character, Kermit the Frog (a.k.a, Jim Henson), my heart hears instead, “It’s Not Easy Bein’ Me.” My thoughts turn to my son, Dustin and the many children with disabilities who are often shunned by their fellow classmates and peers.

Kermit sings, “It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you over cause you’re not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky.” Often, our children’s disability interferes with their ability to establish and maintain friendships. As a result, each day is as lonely and isolated as the day before. Friendships aren’t developed and our children blend in and go un-noticed; further injuring their feelings of self-worth and putting them at a higher risk for depression and suicide.

“But green’s the color of spring. And green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like an ocean or important like a mountain or tall like a tree,” resounds Kermit. Can’t each of us say this about our children? That each can be cool and friendly, have a heart wide as an ocean, important like a mountain and certainly tall in spirit like a tree.

Kermit continues, “When I think it could be nice being red or yellow or gold or something much more colorful like that, but when green is all there is to be, it could make you wonder why. But why wonder, why wonder? I am green and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful! And I think it’s what I want to be.”

This last verse says it all! Teaching our children to accept who they are will empower them to reach out to others and create friendships. While they may start out as the only frog on the lily pad, their acceptance of themselves will allow others to see their inner beauty and join them in their pond of life.