I never thought I would have to dial 911, but yesterday I did. It wasn't because of a car accident, or an illness, or a robbery.
I called because of a young boy I saw walking along the railroad tracks on a very busy Riverwatch Parkway.
A boy who should have been in school.
A boy who was (maybe) ten years old.
A boy who was all alone.
I pulled over.
Son, I called. Did you miss your bus? Shouldn't you be in school?
He looked at me, frowning.
No, he replied. I was suspended.
As he continued walking, here's what I thought: Suspended? The boy is ten years old! Suspended? This is only the third week of school! Suspended? He still shouldn't be wandering around unsupervised.
So, I called 911. They took the boy's description, the direction he was headed, and said they'd send a car to look for him.
There is a saying, Give me a child for the first seven years, and I will give you a man . . . and I couldn't help wondering what happened in this boy's first seven years that, by the age of ten, he is suspended from school and walking along a railroad track.
I wish, for him, someone had called 911 years ago.
6 comments:
A handful of years ago, a boy moved here in fourth grade. He was rough edged. In fifth grade, he was mine, and he would tell me not to love him.
I did anyway.
During that same year, he was arrested. At school. I can't go into what he did, but he didn't deserve arrest (his parents did, but he took the fall).
I wanted to take him home with me. I wanted to hide him.
Eventually, he came back to school.
He went on to sixth and the middle school. He came back to see me that fall, I told him I loved him, and he smiled and said, "I know."
Then his mom gave him away. He left the state. I haven't seen him since.
Last week I found him on facebook. I wrote to him only to tell him I think of him often. I didn't tell him I think of him nearly every day.
Sono due belle testimonianze che mi hanno fatto riflettere. Certo è più facile fare finta di niente e girarsi dall'altra parte, più difficile è cercare di dare aiuto a una persona che non si conosce.
Too many Parents not parenting...at least that is what I think!
Thank you for doing that. HOW CAN A SCHOOL SUSPEND A KID AND NOT MAKE THE PARENTS PICK HIM UP? I am seething.
Wish everyone would feel the obligation you felt.
And Ellen just made me cry a little.
good for you!! It really is sad! And like Laura Ellen's story tugged at my heart strings. Thank you for sharing!!! Cathy
Post a Comment