Todd had a traumatic experience on Saturday afternoon. He decided to ride his scooter to the public library. He was inside for all of 10 minutes and when he returned to the scooter/bike parking area his scooter was gone! He called me, obviously upset, but holding it together, so I went to pick him up. He walked out to the car with the longest face you've ever seen. When he got in the car I told him how sorry I was for him and he burst into tears. He sobbed and sobbed and was absolutely broken hearted. Kate (bless her heart) kept making excuses for the thief (maybe he thought it was his, maybe it was an accident, maybe he really needed a scooter, etc.) but this didn't really help the situation very much. I could hardly hold back the tears as I listened to Todd pour his heart out about how he couldn't believe someone would actually take something that didn't belong to them. He was completely incredulous. It was so sweet, yet so sad to glimpse at his innocence and realize that a part of that inherent trust he had is now gone. I hate for him to become jaded, but I suppose being a little world-wise isn't the worst thing ever.
I have to say that my first reaction was what we call "mama bear syndrome" at our house. All my fighting protective instincts came to the surface in a hurry. I seriously contemplated driving around Rupert, and stopping to interrogate every kid on a scooter -- until I realized that I may just end up being arrested for harrassing a minor. Maybe not the best idea I ever had! Once I calmed down, my second instinct kicked in and I very nearly drove to WalMart to buy him a new one. I just wanted to take away his pain so badly. But I also resisted this urge and instead we just talked about how sad it was that someone made such a wrong choice -- and how our choices hurt more than just us sometimes. Brad and I both encouraged him to remember how rotten it felt to be on the receiving end of such a slight, and then never do anything to make anyone else feel that rotten. He agreed and has since declared his plans to ask for a new scooter for his birthday (which is only 2 weeks away). Good timing, huh?
April 16-30 2015
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4/16
You need a Clara Barton costume tomorrow!!? No problem.
#pinteresttotherescue
4/17
Emmy did a great job on her Clara Barton report!!
camping in ...
11 years ago
7 comments:
Poor little Todd!!!
He's such a good boy, isn't it sad that he has to learn about the real world. I hate that their are such dishonest people out there. Just a suggestion, maybe by one of the bike chain locks for his birthday also. This world is a hard place. It will be an excellent lesson learned, but a tough one. I'm just thankful he is the kind of little boy that it got taken away from, not taking it. And on that same note, where are the parents, wouldn't you notice if your child came home with a new scooter and ask a few questions. UGH!!! Now My "Auntie Bear" is kicking in. Tell him hi for me!!!! Love ya Christie
Wow, the "Grandma Bear" in me rose to the surface in a big hurry! That breaks my heart! I know how much he loved that scooter! I think you made all the ultimate best choices here, however, and ended up with a great teaching moment. Is there some way to lock up a scooter for the future? It makes me incredulous that parents don't notice or do anything about their child suddently showing up with a new scooter! I'm with you, Chris! Give Todd a big hug for us! We are so proud of the good young man he is.
Love,
Mom
People are just plain mean.
And I'm really glad Todd's birthday is coming up because, darn it, he should have a scooter!
I think Kate's comments were really cute.
Poor Todd! My heart goes out to him. It is so sad to see someone lose that trust in others. Great job making it a teaching moment though. I like sweet Kate's atepmts to see the good. Makes me want to buy him a scooter too. I'm glad his birthday is comming up!
We had the same thoughts about a parent noticing a new "high ticket" item in their child's possession. We're hoping that maybe there's some responsibility/recognition there -- but who knows? The librarians all felt so bad for Todd. We are frequent flyers there, so they know him well. I'm sure we'll get a call if some parent grills their child and figures out that the 'new scooter' came from the library parking lot.
As for the bike lock -- I'll definitely be investing in a good one for him. I'm sure he won't leave home without it in the future. :)
Aww... poor thing! I love how Kate was trying to make him feel better! How sweet is that! Yea, I haven't had to worry about that yet, but I was totally feeling you on your reactions! I would have felt the same and wanted to have done that too. You're strong being able to resist it! Tell him Happy Early Birthday from us!
That just might have been the saddest story. I wish I could buy him a new scooter but as you said, that wouldn't be the way to handle it. You are awesome and taught him a great lesson. He really is a great kid and I have to laugh at Katie bug trying to make it all better. She's such a doll.
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