it takes a village...
do you remember that old adage..."it takes a village to raise a child?"
well, this year, i feel like i have been the "village mother!"
writting that right now made me LOL!! hahaha!
but i am serious! i cannot believe how some parents raise their children...or don't.
i am really trying hard not to judge them. but when these children play with my boys, and exhibit poor behavior, i cannot help but think about how they are being raised.
i feel like i have to constantly watch these children as they play with my boys...even though my boys are way past that stage!
i thought i could catch a small break..say 10-20 minutes before i had to peer out the window to see what they are doing.
However, when these other children are here, i feel like i cannot leave them alone for a minute. and it's not because of my boys. i trust them. i find it utterly sad that i cannot trust these other kids. i mean, they're just kids.
5-9 yr olds should be able to play for periods of time .. unsupervised!
some of my other neighbors have just given up and said they couldn't play at their homes anymore.
i don't want to send these children away...and not give them a chance. i don't think that's fair. and it's not the child's fault, for the most part.
however, i also don't want my boys to learn that behavior or even to think it's ok.
i feel stuck in the middle.
well, this year, i feel like i have been the "village mother!"
writting that right now made me LOL!! hahaha!
but i am serious! i cannot believe how some parents raise their children...or don't.
i am really trying hard not to judge them. but when these children play with my boys, and exhibit poor behavior, i cannot help but think about how they are being raised.
i feel like i have to constantly watch these children as they play with my boys...even though my boys are way past that stage!
i thought i could catch a small break..say 10-20 minutes before i had to peer out the window to see what they are doing.
However, when these other children are here, i feel like i cannot leave them alone for a minute. and it's not because of my boys. i trust them. i find it utterly sad that i cannot trust these other kids. i mean, they're just kids.
5-9 yr olds should be able to play for periods of time .. unsupervised!
some of my other neighbors have just given up and said they couldn't play at their homes anymore.
i don't want to send these children away...and not give them a chance. i don't think that's fair. and it's not the child's fault, for the most part.
however, i also don't want my boys to learn that behavior or even to think it's ok.
i feel stuck in the middle.
I totally understand where you are coming from. The thought that came to me while reading this is that we are to be the light of Jesus. This does not mean to tolerate or condone poor behavior but to lead by example good behavior. When my girls were teenagers there were many friends that I did not want my girls to hang around but they did and I made the decision to be the light and so did my girls. Over time their friends began to change and follow our example instead of the poor example they were shown at home.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great lesson for your boys to understand that we may not condone certain behavior but we can not shun because of it either.
Good luck Mare, there will be many more instances like this in your boys lives.
thanks Steph! you speak the truth!
ReplyDeleteugh! how frustrating!! i am a big fan of boundaries, but i'm trying to be more gracious and hospitable (challenging for me!!) praying for you, friend
ReplyDelete