Sonya Reeder writes in an issue of Christian Parenting Today:

One night after supper, [my son] Chase sat down in the living room to begin the task of signing and sealing the Valentine's Day cards he had picked out for his second-grade classmates. Seeing him surrounded by mountains of cards, envelopes, and a list of names that filled an entire page, I decided to enter into the spirit of the holiday and give him a hand.

"Here, you can seal the cards and mark the names off the list," he said shoving 15 or more cards and envelopes into my lap.

I set my coffee down on a coaster and began stuffing cards into their proper envelopes. About halfway through the stack I noticed a bold red and pink Valentine inscribed with the words, "I am thankful for you." What caught my eye was not what the card said, but the thick black lines that had been scrawled over the word thankful.

I nudged Chase and said, " I don't think it would be very kind to give this card to one of your friends."

I was not prepared for the angry outburst that followed. Chase sat up straight and yelled, "Every day that girl calls me names, and I have asked her to stop, but she just laughs and curses at me!"

My heart felt a lurch of pain as I pictured Chase standing undefended in the schoolyard with this unknown girl teasing him. I sat and took in the tears that were rolling down Chase's face. I told him how sorry I was and that I could understand why he felt so hurt.

Chase jerked himself loose from my arm and with a fresh flow of tears choked out, "She embarrasses me! Do you want me to just stand there and let her call me names?"

Here was my young son facing a moment of suffering that might seem small to some but was clearly a big deal to him. What did I want Chase to learn about suffering in this moment?

I put my arm around Chase, wiped his tears with a Kleenex, and said, "Yes, Chase, I do want you to let her call you names. I don't want you to do anything that would hurt her."

I continued to hold him as he calmed down and thought about his choice. After a few moments, he slowly picked up a new card and addressed it neatly to this girl who so easily hurt his heart. His choice was to offer her forgiveness and grace in the form of a Valentine's card.