I believe it takes a village to raise a child, but I’m not always sure where my village ends.
I was out with my children, and the day was supposed to be about them having fun. However, there were 2-3 teenagers who were probably drunk or high. (I’m too old to tell what people are on anymore.) They laughed and got into my personal space and pretended to be cookies. I attempted to ignore them. I rolled my eyes at them. I boxed them out when I noticed my 3 year old looking over at the especially loud needy am-I-standing-still swaying teenage girl.
But I didn’t tell security or management. I didn’t even turn to them and call them morons.
I avoided the latter because I didn’t want to make a scene with obnoxious drunk kids as the only adult with my young children. Plus, I don’t teach my kids to call others names even stupid teenagers who show up at places at 3 p.m. drunk/high and loud/proud. I think that was the right thing to do.
However, I am sure if not telling security about the teenagers was the right thing to do. I remember being a teenager. I remember partying. I was not so blatant about my habits mostly because I knew getting caught meant I couldn’t KEEP partying the following day/week/month.
I also don’t carry a breathalyzer with me. Maybe the teenager were just being dumb and attention-seeking and not drunk at all. I would’ve felt pretty stupid if that was the case. I don’t have teens so I’m basing my response on my memories from 2 decades ago.
Finally and perhaps least “village-like,” I wanted to focus on my children. I didn’t want to drag them around looking for security and describing the teenagers and what I thought they might have done. I wanted my village to end at my family that afternoon.
I don’t usually parent so close to home because I believe all children need us to care about them. But between not knowing if I was correct, not knowing what to do and being the only parent in the area, I chose my family first. I feel sorry for those teenagers though. I hope they were caught. Or it was a one time deal. I hope they didn’t hurt anyone. But hoping isn’t doing so I still don’t know if I did the right thing.
What would you have done? I still feel conflicted over my decision and would love honest input as to how to handle a similar situation in the future; however, I do not want self-righteous queen of the parenting brigade input although if you are royalty some of your subjects are drunk.
