Don’t you wish as an adult we could be as honest and open as kids are?
Of course at times we wish our kids weren’t so honest and open with things. Take this morning for instance. Well actually before I can tell you what happened this morning I need to fill you in on a few events….
There is a family living two doors down from us, they moved in at the very end, like two weeks left, of the previous school year. While they are moving in they have their truck radio cranked loud. OK, I can deal with that, but hopefully it doesn’t happen often. Two of their children, girls, are in elementary school and came down to get on the bus at our house with my daughter, Vanessa, and other neighbor kids. No big deal except for the fact they don’t have any respect for personal space, they stand right on top of you. They also follow my Vanessa around like puppies; I have needed to talk to her, and had to request she must come alone. A few weeks, after school was out, my Vanessa looks out the office window and says, “there is a girl is doing something to our tree”. Upon looking outside I realize it is the younger sister of these two girls. Since I had just gotten out of the shower I send my oldest, Victoria, outside to tell her, politely, to leave the tree alone. Victoria comes in to inform me that the child was taking a steak knife to my tree and was cutting on it. How worrisome is that? From that time on we didn’t really see these kids out and about and when we did they were told to stay in their yard, by their parents. However I would catch them traipsing though my yard several times, during the summer, near my flower bed up by the house.
School started this past Monday for my girls. The first day of school the girls weren’t at the bus stop. But for the past three days they have been. Again it is the follow Vanessa around like puppies. Yesterday Vanessa came into the garage, where I was, to talk to me. Here they come right on her heals and straight into the garage. Now I don’t know about how you feel but to me unless you are invited into someone’s house, garage, what have you, you don’t go in, so last night I told Vanessa that I really didn’t want the girls in the garage and she said ok. Well, this morning I go outside and they are following her around or are standing right on top of us when I was talking to her. I went back into the house to grab something, when I come back outside the girls are at the end of the driveway and Vanessa is in the garage. I asked her if she said something to them about not going in the garage and of course she did. So now they are standing at the end of the driveway staring at us. Vanessa said, “but they aren’t mad”. OK hon, whatever you say. I told her that if they ask why not she can just tell them it is a mess and I would prefer they not be in there.
To a point that is the truth; but it is also partially because I don’t really fully trust them. I hate saying that but it’s true. I know these two were not the ones with the steak knife but I don’t know, they just really concern me and I would rather not have any issues come up. It also doesn't help that my neighbor, that's between us, let me know of some things that went on over the summer, that I had not seen or heard, between the parents. Along with some information the grandmother gave her regarding the children being abuse. I know it could be the parents, it could be anyone, but this kicks in my police wife instincts (those thoughts you get based on stories you husband tells you) that something just isn't right and keeping my girls out of harms way is necessary.
So why is it that we as adults can’t be this open and honest? Are we afraid of hurting someone? Or afraid of being hurt if we do open ourselves up to others and be honest with them? What are your thoughts?
