Monday Musings...
It really makes you stop and think when, one of the FIRST things you hear come across the police radio is a call for an 8 year old that is not breathing and has no pulse.
Not one of the top 500 ways to BEGIN a week, is it?
If there is one thing that is certain in today's world, it's that whatever CAN happen, often will, and usually at the worst time.
I think a man named Murphy had a "law" that mentioned this...a long time ago. There was another call this weekend for a teenager setting fire to a caged raccoon. He was dousing the animal (which had to be put down) with lighter fluid. Now THAT boy is in need of some SERIOUS mental counseling...unless we DO want another Ted Bundy on our hands.
But it's not only things like this that occur with a greater frequency.
Hell, I recall a time when I kissed a girl I was seeing in the school hall, and was PROMPTLY directed to the disciplinarian's office, after the Vice Principal caught me.
Well, I knew Mr. Buck, and when he came into the office, there I was, warming "his" bench. When he asked what I was doing there, I told him. Then, he looked at me, asked "Is she a nice girl?". I said "Well sure she is, Mr. Buck". His smile grew wider, and he said" Way to go...now get out of here, and don't do it again, OK?"
That was plenty to keep me in line for the remainder of my stay at Lincoln High.
Such is not the case today.
Kids don't seem to have any MEMORY RETENTION these days.
And that puts a whole new slant on the old saying: "In one ear - out the other", doesn't it?
Hell, it would seem that WHATEVER we tell kids today doesn't just even come close to a PASS THROUGH of the old noggin, but side-steps the ears (and the child) altogether.
Ask most parents...LOL!
Now take those 2 boys I caught on our property the other week (and had to chase the hell off..TWICE). The one time one of the boys wanted to take a rock from our pile by the driveway. I warned him off of that already.
Well, yesterday, I catch him back AGAIN, trying to fill both of his mitts with TWO LARGE ROCKS.
And AGAIN, I'm out the door, "refreshing" his memory with a slew of expletives.
Now this is a PRIME case of not only having kids NOT listening to their elders, but also a case of shit-for-brains "parenting".
Where the f$ck ARE those that are SUPPOSED to be watching these urchins, anyway?
They sure as hell are NOT outside supervising them
And they sure as hell are not buying them REAL TOYS, otherwise they wouldn't find ROCKS so damn enticing an item.
That is ONE thing I've noticed with kids in "blighted" areas of a city. They revert to animalistic behavior REAL fast.
These 2 black boys (well, we don't really have ANY white kids around anymore, unless they're visiting an "extended" family) LOVE to toss rocks...at anything, living or not. They also like sticks...the larger the better. And they love to smack things with those sticks, like trees, fences, the ground, dead squirrels...everything BUT EACH OTHER (which would perform a much needed service in MY neighborhood).
But, if any kids around here DO deviate from the Cro-Magnon mentality, it's only to have a BASKETBALL they can dribble and bounce all over the place (when they're not using it for a soccer ball and trying to kick it over houses).
Like I say...not the brightest crayons in the box, are they?
My CATS have more toys than ALL the kids in a three-block radius, and that is NO exaggeration!
Then again, it DOES all fall upon the shoulders of those who are "parenting" them (if you can call it that).
These adults erroneously ASSUME that everyone ELSE will raise these kids, whether it's the SCHOOLS, the POLICE, the NEIGHBORS...ANYONE BUT themselves.
Seems like a lack of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to me...how's about you?
I figure you took the time to screw around and MAKE the child...the LEAST you can do is take charge and be a responsible parent (like so many others). Not too much to ask, right? I mean this living, breathing CHILD is not just a passing fad or plaything that amuses you for a time, then gets tossed in the toy box with the rest of the ignored items you've acquired in life so far, is it?
Kids are not something you take lightly. They are the future...OUR future...YOUR future, and how they grow UP has way too much to do with the big picture called life.
Personally, I think ALL these so-called "parents" ought to have the kids TAKEN away, placed in GOOD, caring foster homes, and then tie the tubes OF said parents, just so we don't have another generation of disposable children, because that's the way it would appear in many cities across the nation. I say the kids are "disposable" due to the fact that society basically "writes them off", when they succumb to gangs, drugs, or whatever else is being peddled this week.
Same can be said for seniors, but that's another post for another day.
Right here, right now is where we're at, and where we need to instill responsibility TO these people that otherwise refuse to acknowledge their role in these childrens' lives.
We can't raise everyone else's kids, but we CAN live by example, and demonstrate how to BE that parent, how to BE responsible, and how to make sure that our children do not wind up like the ones that live in areas like mine.
And if these "parents" don't want to be bothered with the kids, then they LOSE them...AND the tax dodge they get along with it.
No more free ride.
You either "parent-up", or get out of the game.
Can't get any easier than that.
And perhaps, along the way, we might be able to reclaim the future, and a better future by leaving it in a lot more capable hands.
By the way, that 8-year old at the beginning of this post didn't make it.
So much for his/her future, hmm?
In the meantime...
Stay safe out there, America.