Is it Age, Motherhood or 2008...

...that caused me to call the cops on our neighbors? Seriously, I feel like the biggest fuddy-duddy in the world...and sadly, it's not the first time I've called the cops on neighbors before...

WWYD? I get back from my morning run at o'dark 30, and and here are a group of young, teen-age men on our block with guns and sticks. They are running between houses and through people's yards...and have a friend in a car that is racing up and down our street picking and dropping kids off. I had NEVER seen this kids before - they do NOT live in our neighborhood..it was still dawn/dark and they had weapons. So, I came in the house and called 911...

Okay, when I was a teenager, I made many, and perhaps some questionable decisions. However, as a teenager...that was my JOB. I believe as a parent, we are NOT our kids bosses or dictators, and they do not owe us respect just because we are old. I don't believe our house is a communist state and it's my way or the highway, and I will spend my kids childhood and teenage years telling them what to do, how to do it, and let them make no decisions and then let them leave home and wonder what the hell to do as now I have given them NO life/adult skills to make good or bad decisions in their lives. I believe it is my job as a parent to have a mutually respectful relationship with my kids, to give them the guidance, love and framework(around what our family believes in - whether it be based upon morals, faith, etc) they need to become good people and citizens of the world. I am not their boss...I am their guide. Their job as a teenager is to question their framework of living if you will..and to make some bad and many good decisions...seriously, how else will they become amazing, decision making, productive adults if they don't have the desire and ability to make some free choices for themselves. If we don't make mistakes at all - I think we fail in a much bigger way.

...geesh, where am I going with this - oh yes, when I was a decision making teenager, I partied a wee bit(bawahahaha) and made some good and many poor decisions perhaps. I think about the many times, while partying at someones house(sans parents of course...) that kind neighbors would just come over and say "hey kids, time to go home...the party is over.." Maybe back in the 80's in small town Indiana..that is just what good and concerned parents did...no one called the cops on us(well, except for the night at the LK Motel...that story is for another day...)..but I also don't think these parents worried that these teenage kids were doing heavy drugs, or carrying guns or knives...we were probably just drinking a bit of Boonesfarm wine or cheap beer and playing Bruce Springsteen too loudly. Even though I hated the party to be over, we still respected the parent(and were of course scared to pieces...) and just said "sorry, thank you.." and went on home.

Now I think as neighbors(maybe only in the big cities like we are in???...) are fearful of our teenagers - I would now call the cops before kindly going to my neighbors house to break-up a party. It makes me sad really.

...anyway, on that dark morning last week, I thought to myself..."should I just go up to the guys and ask them what they are doing..."...but chose to call the cops instead...the whole time feeling a slight betrayal to my teenage self.

The cops did come that morning(almost 20 minutes from my call...that is CRAZY...oh, and the 911 operator is asking me what they are wearing..."um, if you come on our block right now..they are the ONLY people outside...everyone else is sleeping..you can't miss them..oh, and they are also the ONLY people with guns...")..turns out it was a shift change when I called, so that is why it took so long....

A little while later, one of the cops called us and said they caught up with the group 3 blocks away, and it turns out they were just playing a game called "Nerf Assassin"...now I feel really silly and old. :-)