So my blog has pretty much evolved into a cooking blog but as I look at the earlier posts – I posted a bunch of other “stuff”. One thing I have been thinking about is posting just random thoughts – things I see and think about – stuff that bugs me – you know… STUFF. So – I am going to post my first Random Thoughts post and see what people think – if they even notice. (smile)
Today: Bad Parenting (This will be a recurring theme – trust me!)
We are currently on a mini-vaca as my Heart had to come to Austin and San Antonio, Texas for work and I tagged along to enjoy the time together and new places and foods. Yesterday we made it to downtown San Antonio
First Stop – The Alamo
- We walked into the park entrance and there is this huge tree, shading the entrance. It is beautiful. There is a very large and friendly squirrel being terrorized by a little (and by little I mean a 6 or 7 year old who should know better) girl. She has a pop “gun” (a wooden “rifle” that has a cork on a string in the end that Pops out about 6-inches when you “shoot” it) that was obviously purchased in the Alamo gift shop. She and her friends (or relatives) are coaxing the squirrel with food (which is why I say Friendly, because he appears very used to getting food from visitors) and then “shooting” him. The squirrel finally gives up and climbs higher to get away. Fortunately the children are not allowed to climb the trees (there are signs) but they keep running around the tree screaming at the squirrel and throwing things – Why is this ok? Why are the parents simply sitting on benches talking and completely ignoring this?
Next Stop: the Riverwalk – lots of people in bistros and restaurants, shops, etc. also walking around. Lots of families.
- We are walking past a family who are all eating ice cream (they are going in the opposite direction to us), we pass the mother and a foot or so behind her is a 6 or 7 year old little boy holding a cup & spoon. As I get next to him he says “One – Two – Three” and tosses the cup & spoon into the river. I actively and very audibly gasp and look at the child – the mother turns around to see why I have gasp and sees what the boy has done. She asks him why he did that and he responds with a shrug and “Because..” (she has a long road ahead of her if that is how he is acting at This age!) She is looking at me and talking to him about how he shouldn’t do things like that because people get upset, as they continue walking away from us. HELLO – How about you shouldn’t Do things like that because it is bad for the environment … for the river… for the fish and birds… because it is just dirty and the world is not your trash can.. Hell – it is Littering and you could be Fined. I sort of wish I had quicker reflexes and had just pushed the little brat into the river after the cup… but I guess I can’t do that.
- Now – a redeeming experience reflecting Good parenting and good children – we stopped to watch this mama duck and ducklings – papa duck also had three littles ones IN the river. These were tiny ducklings and very friendly & unafraid, although mama duck would quack very loudly if you got too close or one got too far away. There was one family who walked up, the two girls (pre-teens) stopped and quietly stood by a tree to take pictures and not disturb the ducks but my favorite family was one with two small kids, in the 3 and 5 year range. The mom and dad had a firm grip on both kids spoke in hushed notes and asked them to also be quiet and stooped down to WATCH the ducks… mom talked about how little the ducklings were and what did they notice, like their webbed feet for swimming, how they looks fuzzy rather than wings and how the mama duck quacked to warm people not to get too close. This totally made me smile and feel better about some of the parents out there – those kids are lucky and will hopefully grow up respecting nature and the world around us.
Thanks for listening … and I still wish I had pushed that little kid Into the River !