Where is she? Where is he?

As the mother of two young daughters, I am very concerned with what they are doing and with whom they are doing it with. This is not my first time around the block, as the saying goes. We also have a son who was at one time, young and impressionable also.

Recently, I attended a business luncheon. As with probably all business-related meals, the conversation later turned to non-business discussion. On that particular day, a couple of ladies brought it to my attention that a girl who has not even entered high school yet, has been seen entering a bachelor pad just recently. The "bachelor" does not have a sterling reputation in Leoti and has been involved in MANY, shall we say, not so good things.

As we discussed the issue, I had to wonder if the girl's parents were aware of their daughter's association with this older man--especially an older man with a poor reputation. I know that our daughters are just as likely to meet someone similar and think that a relationship with that person is just fine. Therefore, it is MY responsibility to keep good check on where my daughters are at all times, who they are with, etc., etc. And, if, by chance, somehow a relationship develops that I am not aware of, I hope and PRAY that people who have witnessed it, would PLEASE come directly to me and let me know. That is exactly what should have been done in this case.

I doubt that there has ever been a time before now when parenting has been so tough. One of the causes of that is the fact that both parents are now having to work in order to be able to put dinner on the table every night. Many children walk home after school and enter into a dark lonely home where they will remain alone for a few hours until one or both of the parents return home. During that time, it is quite easy for the kids to become involved with the wrong people and doing things that they should not be doing. As a result of that, we see more and more girls becoming unwed mothers, more and more kids experimenting with alcohol and illegal drugs, more and more kids becoming shoplifters...

It is not our job. (I've seen some people perform very poorly on the job site. I would hate to see them botch up the raising of their children also.) It is our RESPONSIBILITY and our OBLIGATION to be constantly aware of and involved with what our children are doing. It is too easy for our children to fall through the cracks.

Each and every child is a gift from God. We can choose to accept that gift, cherish and nourish it or to just let the child grow up on his/her own and just hope for the best.

Where are your kids right now???

VLE-B