The Mindful Homeschool

Last week was a tough week.  It would be difficult to go into details right now but let’s just say … that it was a difficult week.  My family learned that a boy in the neighborhood had been behaving badly with my 3 yo son.  He had been having secret meetings in the bushes with my child and … it is very upsetting.  What made the whole situation worse was the fact that the boy’s mother denies that her child would behave in such a way.  She said it was completely “out of character” for her son to act like that and then told me it was all my 3 yo’s doing!  This has shaken me and my family.

But we are moving on.

I am thankful that my children were smart and persistent enough to investigate these ”secret meetings”.  My dh and I had no idea.  And thankfully, my 3 yo seems to be okay and not affected by what happened.  I, on the other hand, feel angry that my neighbor of 11 years is denying what happened.  Her children have not told her the truth and she seems to be refusing to see her child as who he is: a boy who may need help and professional counseling.

I am struggling a bit with what to do with the boy’s mom.  When I first told her what had happened I tried to be gentle with the information I had.  I did not want to overwhelm her.  I did not want to accuse her son of malicious intent.  And I didn’t certainly didn’t want to make enemies with her.  But her response was so … in defense of her child.  She seemed as if she could not come to terms with the idea that her son could do such a thing.  It made me angry.  She said it was all my son’s doing!   She tells me this after a brief (maybe 10 minutes or less) conversation with her elder daughter. 

I don’t like being told my 3.5 yo is responsible for something her 8.5 yo did.  So we are back to being on not such good terms with the neighbors again.  It is okay.  This time I know that there is nothing I can do to fix the relationship.  I have tried hard to be a good neighbor.  I have been slow to get angry with her children when they have left messes in our yard, or stepped on our gutters, or dug holes in our yard, or accidentally injured our children.  But this time is different.  I need to keep my children safe.  And I need to prevent this from happening ever again. 

So this is the end of all that and the beginning of something else.  I pray that my children will find friends who are good and kind and honest.  Friends who treat them well and act with integrity.

This is my prayer.