That kids aren't rotten. Remember that "snot" that I mentioned that bullies everyone in my neighborhood? Well, it turns out that she (10 year old 5th grader) and her brother (8 year old second grader) and their friend (10 year old 5th grader) have been breaking into the school for at least four Saturdays in a row and stealing stuff out of the school. I'm not so long out of high school that I couldn't look at this girl (the ring leader) and see trouble coming. I was surprised that it happened so soon. I figured she'd start getting into serious trouble in the next year or two at middle school. She likes to think that she's gangster even though she lives in one of the whitest neighborhoods outside of Vermont. I've never encountered a kid that I really wanted to get my own kids away from, but here it is. I've been worrying over how to handle this situation for a couple months now. Seeing as how she got herself suspended from school and grounded, she took care of the problem for me...At least for now. Which brings me to...
Should parents pick their kids' friends and if so, when should you start? I know that if my parents had tried to pick my friends, that I would have rebelled. Instead, they trusted me to figure out right from wrong and I was, comparatively, a good teenager for the most part. (There I go again, tooting my own horn, lol.)
Additionally, when are kids "lost"? Meaning, when is it too late to turn around a troubled kid? Does this girl still have a chance to do well in school, have decent friendships, and not be a general terror to the public? It worries me.
You know I am all for letting kids chose their friends and steering them in the right direction, but when the little kids they are hanging out with start commiting felonies, I draw the line there. Throwing rocks at cars, trying to drive to the store in a barbie jeep... those are kids mistakes. Breaking into schools... that is another story. I think kids can be turned around, but if this kid has no one working with her (obviously not) teaching her right and wrong who knows how far she'll slide. It's not our jobs to parent other peoples kids. It is our jobs to make sure ours are growing up right.
ReplyDelete"Throwing rocks at cars, trying to drive to the store in a barbie jeep" Heheh. We wouldn't know any kids that would do that, lmao.
ReplyDeleteI know what you're saying though. I'm not sure how her parents feel about this latest development, but her mom has told me before that she thinks her daughter's behavior is funny. The whole thing is just sad.
There is nothing funny about breaking and entering. Very sad. Good Luck
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