I Am the Crazy One

Warning: there's a cuss word in this post :-)

So I’m convinced now that I am the overprotective, paranoid parent. Here’s why …

Joel has an 8-year-old girl friend who stays home alone for a couple of hours at a time. This same friend decides to go shopping with a friend when she wants. Apparently they do that all the time. And they go to the local library alone, too. I live in a decent area, but just across a major street is the equivalent of the semi-privileged ghetto (does that even make sense?).

Joel has a 7-year-old girl friend. Her dad lets her stay out a set amount of time doing whatever she wants. He tells her what time to be home, but she doesn’t have a watch. She goes around knocking on doors until somebody lets her in to see a clock.

Another 7-year-old boy in the neighborhood rides around on a mini motorcycle and doesn’t look before he blasts across streets. I told him I hope I don’t accidentally run him over sometime. Don’t you need a license to ride a little motorcycle? The kid says his bike goes 30 mph. We live in a busy area, and most drivers have their heads up their asses while talking on their cell phones.

I’m not letting Joel go to the lake (3 hours away) with neighbors we don’t know THAT well. He doesn’t really want to go anyway, but I told them I’M overprotective. I still say a prayer when Joel and Michael cross the street alone to go ahead to the park before me.

Tresa got frustrated trying to convince the CarMax people that it was NOT okay for her to leave her kids (ages 2 and not-yet-4) in the little waiting area while she went out to look at cars.

NEWSFLASH, People: It’s not the 1950s anymore, like when my dad, as a kid, could ride the bus to Downtown and hang out all day and be safe.

Why am I usually the odd woman out when it comes to giving a shit about my kids living or dying or getting molested? I do know 2 moms who won’t let their kids spend the night anywhere. I respect that. Maybe they think I’M reckless with my kids for letting them stay the night with friends sometimes.

What is it about the magical age of 7 that makes kids think they are completely responsible, and why do so many adults seem to agree with that? And the stories above are just a tiny sampling. I can’t tell you how many times people have dropped their kid off at my house at 2 p.m. and they hadn’t fed their kid lunch yet.

FYI: I’m pregnant with my 5th kid. Just because I’m all capable and crap doesn’t mean that I am to be used. If I watch your kid daily for 3 weeks, then you should damn well say YES when I ask if you can watch my 3 oldest ones for 3 hours. People have no manners.

I’m moving to the country with other people with freaky values. Maybe Tennessee. Or Oklahoma.

Sorry to rant on you. I’ll be all serene after the baby comes. And I’ll be hinting to all these users that I need MEALS … and Pizza Hut delivery is just fine, thank you. They can just call in a double order when they call in their twice-weekly dinner order.