February 14, 2003

What makes me mad: Parents who encourage their young kids to acts of violence

As I was dropping off the elementary aged kids yesterday, a couple of them who were getting off the van started to poke and hitting one kid named Isaac. Isaac didn't go back after any of them until one of them somehow ripped a hole in his new pants, so now he's mad and tries to jump out after them. Having much experience in stopping kids from chasing each other down, I get out the driver side door, run around and restrain Isaac and convince him to get back into the van before he could hit anyone. Meanwhile, the mother of two of the kids I just dropped off was talking on the phone, looking out the window and she sees me holding Isaac back. She yells something along the lines of 'What the @#&*!&@$ (except there were more letters in the word)' and runs out to the door, still talking on the phone. 'Let him run up! Let him fight!,' this parent yells. I'm glad he decided to walk away, but this crazy mother (just mother, not that other name she was calling me) keeps on yelling, insisting I let this 12 year old fight her 11 and 8 year old kids and two other kids were nearby. I guess she didn't care that Isaac would have flattened her two kids easily. I guess she forgot that 3 blocks away, a 23 year old man was shot and killed a week ago. She kept on yelling at me as I leaving and all I could think of was taking that phone and sticking it where even Carrot Top would never be able to call collect from again.

Happy Valentine's Day.

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