By Julian O’Brien
It was a typically wild winter day in Tassie and no other car was silly enough to be parked in the local playground car park. It was deserted.
I wasn’t there to play on the swings in the driving rain and freezing wind. No, a recently discovered fetish for running and exercise meant I was spending a rare weekday off, in weather which I’d only seen on crab-fishing reality TV shows from the North Atlantic, by doing a casual 12km run.
Yet it was not the run that was to cause me concern. Aside from being a launching point for the run that day, this park had a special place for our family and we were regular visitors…. albeit when the weather was a tad better.
It was only back from my run, which I enjoyed by the way, my mood changed. On returning to the park, I could see another car parked not far from mine. Not that strange. What was strange though was there was a young boy not much older than our Princess Ella running around the play equipment in the Antarctic weather in just a t-shirt and jeans unsupervised.
The real issue
As I neared my car I could see a male and two females in the other car and that eased my mind – but only temporarily. Strapping on my seatbelt and looking to reverse, I spied out of the corner of my eye the female passenger lift a bong to her mouth, breathe in and exhale in the car. Well, that explained the “unsupervised” thing.
I shook my head and continued reversing, but to my horror I watched as the kid ran from the playground and jumped straight into the back seat which only moments before had resembled the set of a Cheech and Chong movie. The driver in the other car started his engine and THEY started to reverse.
A parent’s values
Now, I’m no prude and I’ve had my share of “life experiences” but if having children taught me one thing it was I needed to take more responsibility for the sake of the souls I’d chosen to bring into this world. I was livid. I drove slowly out of the car park long enough to block the other car and report the incident and vehicle to a mate in the local police station.
I took no joy or pleasure from that and there are still days I wonder about that little bloke in that car, hoping to God he is receiving the parenting every kid deserves. Do I feel guilty about what I did? Not on your life.
What it did reinforce to me was that not everyone views parenting the way myself and Kel do and maybe, just maybe, we have to make a stand in our own communities at times to right that balance.
What would you have done in the same situation?
I’m glad you reported them. I always think I should take action when I see things that upset/disturb me, but I always end up scared I’ll be rocking the boat too much. I think I would have done the same thing in this case though – driving right after that would have been terribly dangerous
Interestingly it turned out they were already on the radar of the local police and they were pulled up soon after. Thankfully …..
Good on you. I hope I would have done the same thing. Kids can’t protect themselves, and if ‘their’ grown-ups aren’t looking out for them, the community has to.
Too right Toni
I think julian it took some courage in which todo so , and that no everyone relises the consiquences of there actions , many of them do not care i work in welfare and if i had my choice i would have brought 50 children home with me this year – it does make you however apprechiate your values and the well being of your children even in the tough parenting moments
Agreed Cheryle. Many of the kids don’t have hope and maybe there are others in the community who can stand up and provide it to them.
Too many people witness similar situations and do nothing. Every child deserves someone to look out for them, even if on that day it was a stranger. Ella and Holly are very lucky to have you and Kel as parents.
Hey Meg, thankyou. First time I’ve ever really had cause to react like that. Made my blood boil. I’m glad I did.
What you did was something that you hope others would do. Too many people do nothing. It takes a village to raise a child – but sometimes residents of the village forget there responsibiities to the innocent children.
Too true Trace. I truly hope that “village” spirit is on the return.
poor, poor little love.. some people really don’t deserve kids!I would of done exactly the same thing.
Will never forget that little bloke’s face. Have yet to see him again …… and we’re not that big a place. Hopefully he is ok.
It makes me so mad when I think how hard it was for us to become parents and how there are so many deserving people in the world who simply cannot become parents….. and then you see that. Grrrrr.
Very good point Ali.
I shook my head when I was reading this! We all parent differently and we have different ways of being, but at the end of the day its putting our kids first that is what matters.
Yet I cant judge others. Yes they shouldnt have smoked, drove and have a kid in that environment, but one has to wonder is it our society that “Allows” this to happen? What happened to “Family” helping raise Family so that support was needed when ever wherever. I like the idea of a “Village” raising children – that is the way to parent…that way the child grows up with many good values.
Shame that now days parents dont have the support needed so that kids grow in an environment that helps them to be the best they can.
I think society is changing Lisa. I think people are again realising that lifestyle changes have cost us some of those community values and beliefs and people are now longing for a return to “the village”.