Parenting Instincts

I found myself in a strange place yesterday... in a townhouse living room with 12 lively kindergarteners, trapped inside by a hurricane of sorts, surrounded by junk food galore and no planned activities - a twilight zone birthday party. I had inklings, I had warnings, but I decided to enter the uncharted territory anyway. It was a weird, wild ride of sorts. Nothing harmful occurred, other than gaining an insider's glance into another's dysfunctional family pain. AWWWWKKKKWARD! A friend of mine back in high school used to say, "I was embarrassed to be a human being." I was a fly on the wall seeing and hearing way more than anyone should have to see and hear.

Instantly it was clear that the mom was a teen mother, not much more than a baby herself. Was it easy to judge? It could've been, but then other dynamics came into view. An overbearing, argumentative grandmother. A strange motley crue of friends and partners, and one little girl excited to be six and the belle of the ball for once. One odd conversation with the bingeing father led to another with Norman with the "mysterious" last name, until I retreated to the one other safe chaperone in the room.

After I'd endured all that I oould - two hours before the party was scheduled to wrap-up - my mommy instinct kicked in. "Grab as many kids as you can!"
I began calling parents and saying, "I can't give you details right now, but I don't feel right leaving your child here." They thanked me and I whisked their kids into the safety of my minivan.

Just like all things, this bizarre-o soiree came to a close and we were all fine, at best a little wiser since we had learned from bad choices. Just because someone lives in a certain neighborhood doesn't make them an immoral person, but when the clues start adding up it's never too late to turn around and re-think an initial decision. I desire my kids to grow up in diversity, having friends of all cultures, all socio backgrounds and coming from all neighborhoods, even. But this TZ party made me realize that some kids have a LOT stacked against them, beyond what my sheltered family can imagine. And they deserve to be loved and cherished, to be the belle of the ball now and then, too.