Neighborhood Watch

We knew moving across the road from a high school we would occasionally have issues with traffic or speeding or littering.

Traffic really is never bothersome for us and every once in awhile we find fast food litter in the front yard. We do often hear the cheerleaders practicing and are serenaded in the morning by the marching band. And of course, Friday nights we have a frontyard view of the fiotball game.

By far our biggest complaint is the occasional wreckless driving. Most of the time it is just simple fast driving (although since we are just before a curve cars have to be ready to slow down to make the curve) but every once in awhile (once a month or so) we get teens driving wrecklessly. We usually hear them ahead of time... Spinning in the school parking lot and gunning it out of the curve.

We usually run to the front yard to get the license plate and yell to slow down. Last night we happened to be in the front yard when someone came squealing around the corner. Ryan ran out into the road yelling for them to slow down. They swerved and sped on by.

I would have let it be, but not Ryan. He drove the truck out to the end of the driveway. I wasn't sure what he had planned... Was he going to form a road block or what?

Well, he heard the kid again and ran out to the truck and took off after them. I shook my head and muttered "there he goes again... trying to save the world.".

He came back about 20 minutes later and I was pretty impressed with what he did... He followed the kids back to their house, parked behind them in the driveway, walked past them in their car and knocked on the front door to speak to their parents. Good for him. His parents were ticked and told Ryan not to worry that they'd take care of it.

Ryan was a little irritated when he explained that we have 2 little boys and we don't want to feel like it's unsafe to have them in the front yard. The kids dad asked..."is your front yard fenced in?".

Well what the he'll does that matter? Isn't the issue YOUR kid driving wrecklessly past our house? Would us having a fenced front yard make it ok for him to drive that way? I see it all the time at work... parents immediately take their kids side and try to see the blame elsewhere. I'm sorry, but when there's a problem or something is wrong and I don't know the whole truth I immediately ask what my child did, what part they played... not defend their actions (unless I, of course, have hard evidence that they are not guilty). It's no wonder so many kids think they run things in this world.

Anyway, what Ryan did kind of made me chuckle... about 12 years ago he was that punk kid that the neighbors were calling his parents complaining about his loud music and his driving. Now HE'S the parent, chewing out the rebel teenager for misbehaving. His mom would be proud. :)