Teach Your Children

  At the moment I am working on a novel and a short story. Like one story is not enough, I know. Leave it to me. But today, of all days I am having a great day of writing. Yay! Sadly, when it came time to sit down and write this blog I am having a very hard time. I had a whole subject that I planned on writing about, but now I have doubts. You see, I would have to step up on a soapbox, and I’m not sure that is the best thing for me to do. Maybe if I try it from another angle it won’t be so bad.

  In the novel I am writing the secondary characters are dealing with bullying. When I started writing I didn’t expect it to bother me, but I find myself getting aggravated when I get to their parts. The short story I am working on has a young boy in it whose mother died when he was very young. He is a extremely rambunctious, very shy, withdrawn boy who needs just the right amount of love to make his days complete. His father does the best he can, but sometimes good just isn’t enough.

  Both stories involve parents who genuinely care and do the best for their children, and some that aren’t even their own. To me that is what good parents do. They love and protect their children, and teach them right from wrong. My parents did that. I thank the good Lord that I had great parents that taught what hard work and respect mean.

  Last weekend I visited a friend at her store in a market. At one time a heavy set man walked in and looked around while his daughter rummaged through some merchandise. The father paid no attention when the young girl (around 8 years old) ransacked half the store. She walked up to him with about a two dollar item in her hand. The father never looked at her, he kept shopping for himself. He told her to put it back. The father left the store with his little girl in tow. Little girl still had said item in her hand. Unbelievable. The mother was just outside the store, apparently paying no attention to the child as well because all three strolled off down the walkway. I watched as they visited other vendors. The little girl was holding a brand new toy in her hand and nobody questioned it. I even walked down to where they were and stood around there for a couple of minutes. The little girl kept looking at me. I hope she knows she did wrong. Now my friend or I could have said something, but she didn’t want to make a fuss with such a young kid for a cheaper item. Deep down we wanted the parents to notice what she did and make her bring it back. We wanted to feel that sense of not-everybody-is-a-thief. Needless to say they did not return, so another child goes without learning the difference between right and wrong.

  Maybe I am being hard. Maybe the parents were having a bad day. People make mistakes, right? I've made plenty, I admit it. Even so I have a lot of things I want to say on this subject, but I won’t. That soapbox is right there, I just don’t want to step up onto it. For your sakes I won’t! J So there you have it. I am still befuddled about the whole thing.

Would you have confronted the family? Were your parents strict, relaxed, or in between on rules? Do you think you learned from them, or did you have to learn on your own?

W.P.I. - Fall is the time that you buy and plant spring flowering bulbs like Tulips and Daffodils. They should be available in Garden Centers throughout the fall. The best time to plant your bulbs is in September or October, when the weather starts to get cooler.