Teaching Responsibility

If there is one thing I want to teach my kids it is to live responsibly, that they can control themselves and thus be self-determined individuals.

This is the second week of school for Little Boy.  He has already lost his new back-pack.  I explained he can either buy himself a new one of use his old, worn out back-pack with the babyish cartoon characters on it.

Last night I signed his fundraiser permission form.  By this morning it was gone.  But that’s his problem, not mine.  I would rather he learn to deal with disappointment and consequences in 2nd grade than 10th grade.

It rained buckets this morning.  And I am grateful for every drop.  We took our umbrellas to the bus stop.  His is bright yellow (sponge bob) and Little Girl’s is bright pink (hello kitty).  Our bus stop is in a patch of grey gravel about a quarter mile from our house.  Little Boy’s bus drove right by, she slowed down, looked at me and wend right on by.  Little Girl’s bus driver had even pulled up a bit extra so there’d be plenty of room.

Little Boy had to run home, put our umbrellas up, dash to the car, speed to the school.  He got there right before the bell.  And I went and got the number for the transportation department.  They say there was a substitute driver, that they’ll talk to her.  Really?!  She left a 7 year old standing in the rain.

How am I supposed to teach responsibility to my children in a world where grown-ups can be down right negligent and not be held accountable?

Today I am disgusted with adults.  Our politicians having affairs and financial scandals.  Our reporters in such a hurry to get the story out they miss the facts.  It seems that too often childishness and irresponsibility gets more rewards than being mature and taking the blame along with the credit.  Our school board president was arrested for public intoxication (he was drunk behind the wheel of a parked car, having a liaison with a former student…) and has faced no repercussions for this.  What does this show almost 7,000 students in this district?

The school bus driver can ignore/forget a child.  The board president can drink and drive.  And it is up to me to counteract this.  I’m doing what I can, not bailing the kids out of small jams, letting them learn the hard way now, and loving them all the time no matter what.  But I still feel like I’m Atlas, holding the world up all alone.