Our community
So, I came upon this a few weeks ago and could not believe my eyes.
When I initially drove past this spot it was full of young middle school kids.
I decided to go back after dropping my child off for practice. When I arrived, the kids were gone, but the backpacks, sweatshirts, and debris were still there as was the small airplane size bottle of liquor. My first instinct was to find out who had left the mess and have them clean it up.
Accountability
So, I took it upon myself to open the abandoned backpack and read the name on the school work. Bingo, I got the name. A few minutes later the boy to whom the backpack belonged came for it. I asked by name if he and his friends had left the mess. He said they had. By this time James from the Pali Garden Cafe was looking at the mess, the man who owns the office building where the brick wall is was out surveying the mess too. He stated that the kids often leave their trash on and around his property.
Seriously
I told the boy to please go find his friends, get them to clean up as he would be responsible for it all. He left and returned with a few boys and girls. They immediately started cleaning up and a few boys even apologized to me. I reminded them that this community belongs to all of us and we are all responsible for keeping it clean and beautiful. No one claimed the liquor bottle, but they gave up the name of who bought it and drank it.
So, someone’s Paul Revere middle school son is drinking, this is an important detail.
Yo mama
My second instinct was from a parent’s perspective. I would be extremely upset with either of my children for participating and contributing to such a mess.
My Kids
I challenge my kids to be upstanders, not bystanders, I want them to have the courage to interrupt a bad idea whether it by their friends or acquaintances. The box of cereal was dumped everywhere and pulverized, there were boba beads thrown and smashed against the wall, ketchup dumped, food containers left, and other contents smeared on the sidewalk.
Please talk to your kids.
Know what they are doing and with whom.
These are our boys and girls who have the freedom to hang out in the neighborhood, ask them to be mindful and stand up to their friends. This is a benign result
This is a benign result of a bad decision.
It no one stands up to this why would they stand up to a friend who is drinking and driving?
It is part of the same continuum if you ask me.
P.s. If you see my children behaving poorly, being disrespectful to others and or vandalizing property, please tell me.
