I know we all have the thought.. Follow

Sometimes the posts just write themselves.

The tiny minority of pedophiles have stolen our children from us. Children are glorious and wonderful, and I think it's a right and a responsibility to step in and help a child in difficulty or who is having even a small worry. And kids and adults would be all better off if they could step into each other's circles, and play with each other in a free moment. Not only would it be happiness making for both, but both can learn from the other.

But because we're all concerned about the predators, outsiders to a nuclear family feel like they can't step in on those little moments when children have wandered away from their parents, but are looking for or needing adult company or rescue any more. It's a horrible, horrible shame.

I can remember being 3, and losing my mother in the supermarket, and what felt like the endless and depthless terror of searching and searching and searching and not finding her, and the silent scream of horror of thinking I'd not see her again.

Mr. Ambrya actually found himself--through no fault of his own--facing this problem. When he first moved into this house, he was doing a lot of painting and repairs. He's under the sink doing some plumbing and hears a sound, looks up, and lo and behold it's the neighbor's toddler, who had wandered in through the door which had been left open because of paint fumes. So he takes the tot and guides him out the door, back to his own house, rings the doorbell and asks the woman who answers if she's lost something. The woman (we won't go into the fact that she somehow failed to notice her two year old made it outside the house and outside the yard without her even realizing it) looks at him like he's Jack the Ripper, snatches the child away from him, slams the door on him, and thereafter spends the next two years avoiding him like the plague whenever they happen to be outside their houses at the same time.

As for hitting other people's children, anyone who tries it will draw back a bloody stump. I actually had to get between my white trash cousin and Tristan (then 14-months) at my brother's wedding last summer. She has no problem casually smacking her kids when they act up, which drives the entire family nuts and in turns drives me nuts because NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING. I don't know if she mistook Tristan (unlikely--his clothes were actually clean) for one of her brood or just didn't see the need to make the distinction. He got into her purse, which she had left sitting in the middle of the floor where all the kids were running around, and I was heading over to stop him and help him put things away, but then she came toward him with her hand drawn back. At which time I got between them, got right up in her face, and informed her in no uncertain terms (and I quote) "If you lay a finger on my son, I will fucking. kill. you."

She left the wedding shortly thereafter. Can't imagine why.



Edited, Sep 4th 2009 12:50am by Ambrya