Responsible for Other Kids?
theophilus August 25th, 2008
How responsible are we for other kids?
I ask the question because of the small creek behind my yard. Flowing into this creek is a a culvert with a big enough hole for a kid to get into trouble. The creek tends to fill up in heavy rains. It’s a real enough danger (at least to me) that I have put the fear of God into my kids to keep them from playing in the creek and culvert.
I’ve gone over periodically to scare off other kids I’ve seen down there in the past. Tonight, they were down there again and the gaggle seems to be getting bigger and bigger. I went over and “convinced” them to move on – a command that they followed. But twenty minutes later, they were back. I watched them for about ten minutes and decided to go “relax” on my back porch. Within two minutes, they were gone.
So, am I am being an old man who is trying to prevent kids from having fun or am I a concerned father who doesn’t want other kids getting into the trouble I work so hard to prevent for my own children? To what extent are they my concern?
Of course, I ask this last question rhetorically, because I believe Christ asks each of us to watch out for each other. But, I do wonder if I’m going overboard in this commission and whether it’s worth the effort (because I guarantee they’ll be back in the creek tomorrow).
