You read it right my fellow bloggers; I did hinder a four year old child’s self esteem. Let me explain this horrific incident of child self esteem hindrance. I live within very close proximity of a local public park. I walk my dog there just about every single day. Today I really wasn't in a delightful mood. Therefore, I just wanted to finish walking my dog so I could go home and take a nap. Sadly I never managed to take a nap, disappointing, I know. I was walking past the shelter, and a man with his three boys all under the age of six was there. The youngest one looked to be about three or four. He was wandering towards the sidewalk where I was, and his father really wasn’t what I would call an attentive parent, so he was able to wander wherever he pleased I guess.
I proceeded to walk past the little boy, and with the biggest smile on his face, He told me "Hi," and waved. I had been in similar situations like this before, and I didn’t want to say anything back because then he (like all the other small children I encounter walking my puppy) would ask to "pet my doggy." As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't in a terrific mood. Therefore, I ignored the little boy, and continued to walk by without saying a word. As I got 25 feet away from him, I was thinking, "What on earth did I just do?" I rejected the wave of a little boy. He had good intentions, and is a young child that is learning, and I just completely acted wrong, and made a horrible decision to ignore him.
I kept walking, and was punching myself in the face for not simply saying "hi" back to this little boy. I turned around, and he was way back behind me, but he was sort of chasing after me. I came up to the sidewalk where it crosses the street, and he kept coming. By this time, the boys father is walking the compete opposite direction with the other two little boys calling his name expecting him to come back. Worried for the child’s safety, I stayed where I was, and did not cross the street. The other two little boys come running after him, and the father is just standing there, 50 feet away, watching his three little boys approach me, a complete stranger. If it would have been someone else they approached, His little boy easily could have been kidnapped, or abducted.
As the little boys drew close, I wanted to make it up per-say to the little boy whose wave I rejected. I knelt down to the ground, and asked them if they wanted to pet my puppy and all three said "yes!" We then had a conversation about what the leash was for and what my dog's name was. All the meanwhile, their father is just slowly waltzing his way over to them, with not a care in the world his three little children are talking to a stranger. As he approaches, the younger one runs off again, and the other two follow. Then he grabbed the youngest one who had wandered off and picks him up and starts walking back the opposite direction. He didn't say a single word too me, which surprised me.
To be 100% honest, when typing this story, specifically the part about walking past the little boy when he waved to me, I started to get tears in my eyes. I still feel so horrible for doing what I did. By now, that little boy probably does not even remember, but I do. I feel like I hurt the little boy, for no reason at all. Which I think is true. By letting them pet my dog, It seemed like a good way to make it up too him. But I still feel at fault for hurting the little boy's feelings. This little boy taught me a very valuable lesson, and I will never forget it.
Farewell my fellow bloggers, and in the words of Angela Schwindt, "While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about."
No comments:
Post a Comment