Don’t Grow it Young
My childhood was lived in a much simpler time. The world was smaller and people depended on certain societal standards to support them throughout the seasons of their life. For instance, my siblings and I were often left in the car while our parents took care of business. This is unheard of today, but we were not the only children in vehicles at Piggly Wiggly.
There was strict ‘stay in the car’ protocol, and every child knew it. First, never, ever get out of the car! Second, if you break rule number one, someone had better be blue or bleeding! Third, be nice! Fourth, never, ever get out of the car!
Occasionally mom took us with her, but my brother and I thought it was great fun to put the brussels sprouts back when mom turned to reach for the carrots. We were also prone to bicker and beg in her presence, but when we were alone in the car we knew we had to amuse ourselves constructively. We had crayons and coloring books, we played I-spy, found pirates in the clouds and challenged each other to greater cleverness with jokes and riddles. Life was mostly good……….
One sunny day mom and dad had business to attend to in a bigger city further from home. They went into the store, taking my two younger sisters with them and leaving my older brother and I to wait in the car. We were probably eight and nine years old. Several parking spaces over was a pickup truck with a couple of adolescent boys also awaiting their adult’s return. To entertain themselves, they took a shotgun from the gun rack in the back window and aimed it a my brother and me. We began crying, the boys laughed and continued their pretend target practice. Greg and I got down in the floorboard of the car, crawled to the opposite side, cracked open the door, climbed out and were sitting on the pavement terrified when mom and dad returned. Dad left for a moment while mom calmed us down. I believe those young men learned that pretending to shoot defenseless people was never an acceptable game to play. Dad was a giant of a man that day.
Several years later I was again sitting in the car when mom returned with her purchases. At the same time, a woman exited the store with a dirty, ill clothed toddler on her hip and gripping another small child by the hand. She held a cigarette in the corner of her mouth, keeping a stream of rough language spewing while jerking the children angrily. It made me sick and I said to mom, “I never want to grow up and be like that.” Mom quickly replied, “Then don’t grow it young.” In other words, you will be tomorrow, what you chose to be today.
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away. Proverbs 22:15.
(Note: A rod is not a device of punishment, but rather, the tool of a shepherd to guide and direct.)
Children become what they are allow to be. Today matters a lot, because something is taking root. Love them enough to change them for the better.
With Deepest Love,
Gretchen