Teancom's Baptism

Pictures for the Program.  Tamra's pick.

Teancom's pick.  Dad was making him laugh.  So cute.

Teancom was baptized on Sunday, August 24th and we are very proud of him.  The back story makes this baptism really shine.

As you guys know, Teancom struggles with anxiety.  It's not everyday, but it surfaces when he's faced with new things.  New things are scary.  Also scary:  Being in front of lots of people.  For these two reasons, I was concerned that he wouldn't do well with his baptism.

Oh, and he hasn't historically loved going to church.  For real, I pressed him hard on if he really, really wanted to get baptized.  If he doesn't want to go to church, maybe he doesn't want to be baptized.  We had lots of discussions about this.

But Tank said he wanted to do it, so we went forward with plans.  As it came closer, though, I sensed that things weren't awesome for him.  He was acting up a little bit (which is also connected, I think, to being 8.  Why are all children monsters at this age?), he was avoiding talking about the subject.  And then it came time to have an interview with the Bishop.  I thought this would be no big deal.  He knows the church building.  He knows the Bishop.  He's been in meetings with him before.  What's new about that?

He threw a colossal fit and refused to go to the church building.  He didn't know why he didn't want to go (which matches every other Anxiety Zone moment we've had:  rationality leaves), but there were lots of tears.  He said he did want to get baptized, though, so since a Bishop's interview is required, I ended up coaxing him into going to the church building. Then, during the interview, he sat on my lap and said nothing the entire time.  The Bishop asked him how he felt about being baptized, and all he could say was, "I don't know.  ...  I don't KNOW.  ...  I DON'T KNOW!"  Needless to say, the Bishop is no longer unaware that Tank has anxiety issues.  He was very patient, though, and saw through to Tank's heart.

Even after that, Tank cried when we asked him about how he was feeling about his baptism.  When he finally opened up about it, he was afraid of being in front of all those people.  Rob talked him through how things would go, and he must be magic, because at the end Tank said, "I can do that."

And then he did!

I'm proud of him for not letting fear and anxiety rule his life.  Even if it was this one instance, every decision to face and overcome anxiety builds character.  He can look back and remember that time he decided he was going to try gymnastics.  Then that other time when he chose to get baptized.  Then, in the future, there will be that time when he decided to go to college, or go on a mission, or get married.  By small and simple things indeed.

We were blessed to have lots of family and friends there to support Teancom.  He even had his favorite Primary teacher give a talk on baptism, even though she'd had surgery THAT WEEK!  She is amazing and Teancom is lucky to have someone who is so loving and supportive.

It's always lovely, as a parent, to see your children making life choices of great moment.  Watching them learn and grow is a pleasure.