Who is Patchy?

 

You’ll find him on our MIC (Mighty In Character) website. He’s an animated figure, a small boy entrusted with a sacred mission––to translate for children the importance of always behaving well and adhering to five fundamental elements of ethical citizenship: truth, faith, courage, kindness and gratitude.

And he looks a lot like me. Or, rather, the child I once was. But Patchy is an idealized version and therefore cuter, sharper and happier, with a more optimistic view of life.

Every person comes to earth yearning to please his parents and teachers. Wanting to be recognized and praised for it. When that doesn’t happen, when his spirit is extinguished again and again by repeated carping and scolding, he often withdraws and decides that because he cannot win this game, it isn’t worth the effort.

Well, here is something that adults tend to forget: It’s hard for a child to be good all of the time. Nearly impossible, in fact. Here’s why: Children and teenagers act on impulse, before they’ve had time to reason things through. Only later do they look back and ask, “What was I thinking when I did that?”

Adults aren’t always much better. Consider the last time you got caught in a traffic jam. What did you say? How did you act? Are you already cringing? Uh, huh.

So Patchy sheds light on the learning process, reminding other children that mistakes aren’t lost causes; they’re lessons in disguise. They ultimately allow us to choose what sorts of people we’ll become.

My grandfather wasn’t given to snarls and lectures. When we sat together outside his concrete house with its tin roof, he preferred gentle introspection as he gazed across the neighboring hills where houses dotted the slopes. “Mikey…” he would begin. His wisdom surfaced through single sentences rather than long speeches. They were easy for a young boy to follow.

So Patchy takes a similar approach. He keeps his remarks short and his comments reassuring. He encourages his friends to behave better next time. He knows that what really counts and defines one’s character isn’t what we just did…but what we’ll do differently later on when given another chance.

 

 


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