The Value of a Person - How a Child with Low Social Skills Can Help Others

 

One day, Bomsu’s kindergarten teacher said to me:

“Bomsu, who loves numbers, started writing numbers on the board.

And because of that, the other children began learning numbers too.”

When I heard this, I felt something I can hardly put into words.

At kindergarten, I had often heard concerns about Bomsu—

that he struggled with social interaction,

that he didn’t always connect easily with other children,

and that following instructions could be difficult for him.

At the same time, I had also heard about his strengths:

that he enjoys building things,

that he has a strong sense of numbers,

and that his thinking is uniquely logical.

But hearing, for the first time,

that he had been helpful to others—

that he had contributed in his own way—

moved me more deeply than anything else.

Why did this moment affect me so much?

As I reflected on it,

I realized that being helpful to someone

felt like something more than just a small action.

It felt connected to something bigger—

like finding a place in the world,

like having a way to belong.

One of my biggest concerns about Bomsu has always been this:

Will he be able to find his place in society?

Will he be able to live independently,

build relationships,

and support himself in the future?

This moment gave me a small but meaningful sense of hope.

I have always believed that

when you do something you truly enjoy,

it can naturally connect to contributing to others.

And for the first time,

I felt that this belief might also apply to Bomsu.

---

And then I began to think about something else:

What is the difference between being helpful

and being taken advantage of?

Being taken advantage of means

that someone is used for another person’s benefit.

The benefit may belong to an individual,

or even to a group or an organization.

But in most cases,

there is little or no return for the person giving.

There is no balance.

On the other hand,

being helpful exists within a relationship

where something is shared.

People give and receive.

They support one another,

and in that process, they grow.

The difference lies in reciprocity—

whether something is one-sided

or shared between both sides.

And yet, even this distinction is not always clear.

In the same situation,

depending on intention

and on how the person experiences it,

it can feel like being valued

or like being taken advantage of.

---

In the end, this is what I think:

If you are not simply being carried along by others,

but are living with a sense of your own direction—

trying, in your own way, to be helpful—

you can build a sense of confidence in yourself

and live a more fulfilling life.

Perhaps, in the end,

living as the subject of your own life—

not just being used, but choosing—

is one of the most important things in a community.

---

Bomsu doesn’t know any of this yet.

He simply wrote numbers because he enjoys them,

and something good happened as a result.

He may not fully understand

what it means to help others,

or what that feeling is like.

But even if Bomsu doesn’t fully understand it,

I still want to explain it to him—

so that, in his own way,

he can begin to understand

what it feels like to know he helped someone.

K.H.

Soratemplates is a blogger resources site is a provider of high quality blogger template with premium looking layout and robust design

• 
• 
• 
• 
•