Kids or Criminals?

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

I ended up going out and telling them that the neighbors would call the cops because of where they were parked (parking is a hassle on my rather narrow street). With open containers in their car, they ended up scurrying off). Haven't seen them since.

Not really comparable to your situation, JD, because the kids I dealt with were younger and on skateboards but it reminds me a bit of how you handled it. No criminal activity but just general neighborhood annoyance.
About four months ago during the afternoon there were three boys, ages about 14-16, ripping up the street with their skateboards. They seemed to be challenging the passing cars and I heard more than one car come to a screeching halt. A few drivers yelled---the kids yelled back. I envisioned major trauma. I really wanted to yell at those boys myself but realized that it would probably do no good and put me in the middle of an embarrassing screaming match. Might even result in a bit of retaliation when I wasn't looking, too.
It seemed that their re-grouping area was right in front of my house. Whoopee.
Here's what I did. I put a leash on my then-three-month-old puppy and walked out to my mailbox and got my mail. By then the boys had moved into the street and were doing some fancy moves on their skateboards. Okay, they were giving me stink eye too. I expected that.
I said "Guys---can I talk to you for a minute?" That was met with intensified stink eye. One swaggered over, the other two stayed in the street.
"Can I ask you to come over and say hello to my puppy? She's really shy with people and I'm trying to get her used to them. You look like nice kids so I thought I'd ask you to help with her."
All three came over. Two sat on the ground with her. She jumped and licked and loved them to smithereens. They asked questions about her, hugged her, laughed about her "dreadlock" hair. All stink eye and swaggering disappeared. They were just kids.
After a while I carefully said that I had been watching and I was worried about them getting hurt on this street, which was the honest truth. I said that they might be safer on a less-busy street or down the road at the skate park.
I thanked them for helping with the puppy and went back inside. Within two minutes of my going back in the house they were gone.
Maybe they were headed somewhere else anyway but I like to think that maybe I helped save them from getting flattened by a truck.

[lavagal]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

WORN, you are one good woman! Keep us posted. What a great way to melt away the "armor."

[matapule]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

Not only an RN, but a very good psychologist. There is a lesson for me to learn here.

Ofa 'atu
Mui Houma

[Jim75]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

No doubt. Well played, WindwardOahuRN!

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

Is this an example of how different a man or a woman would handle a confrontation? We guys would come at the kids after taking steroids.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Kids or Criminals?

WORN, you are one good woman! Keep us posted. What a great way to melt away the "armor."

My puppy melted away the "armor." I was just the facilitator, LOL. My pup was bred to be a therapy dog, BTW. She did her lineage proud.
I saw one of the kids at the skate park a few days later.

Not only an RN, but a very good psychologist. There is a lesson for me to learn here.

Ofa 'atu
Mui Houma

If so then I did a good thing by posting it. I thought twice about doing so but then figured oh what the hell.

These kids belong to all of us. Small island---a concept that anyone coming here from the mainland would be wise to grasp. We are residents of the most isolated archipelago in the world. Gated communites aside, we have to take care of each other and that includes dealing with the less-than-delightful aspects of life on the Islands. Kids included, without question.
Adolescence is such a tough time. Bravado, challenging, testing boundaries, pushing limits. With a little bit of luck we come through a bit battered and bruised but otherwise unscathed. Without that luck we end up as road kill. If we old futs can step in and prevent the road kill scenario we done good, IMHO.

No doubt. Well played, WindwardOahuRN!

Thanks. Those kids stole my heart. I hope I made a difference. Not sure if I did but one can always hope.

Is this an example of how different a man or a woman would handle a confrontation? We guys would come at the kids after taking steroids.

LOL---point taken but I am not so sure that it is a man/woman thing at all.
Honestly? My husband qualifies as one of "we guys." He would have been even better than me at handling this kind of stuff. Through many trials and over many years he has shown himself to be more patient and less volatile than me in similar situations. He has taught me. So I really don't think that this can be attributed to choromosomal differences.
My very first inclination, to be totally honest, was to run out into the street and scream at those kids. I identified that initial reaction as counterproductive in more ways than one.
I didn't want to see these kids hurt. I didn't want to see myself stabilizing cervical fractures while dialling 911.
I really really really did NOT want to see Moms and Dads weeping over those beautiful young crushed bodies, thank you.
I think it boils down to this---if you think you can make a difference, go out and try, even though you may risk making a total ass of yourself. In the grand scheme of things, if you make a total ass of yourself no one usually gives a crap about it except for yourself.
If you end up making a difference well...you've done something freakin' good, in the cosmic sense.