Yesterday I took this photo of a tranquil moment at the Hagerman butterfly garden. Trust me…it was the only tranquil moment. A group of very young children was there with three adult women and a man. While they conversed, walked around, and played with the little ones, they completely ignored two older boys who ran wild, whooped and hollered, grappled with each other, and generally caused havoc. They ran over the paths and into the parking lot. At one point they actually ran through the middle of a flower bed. Later they ran within inches of my elbow. When they did that I said, “Seriously…boys!” in a loud whisper that I was sure wouldn’t embarrass them or attract the adults. I needn’t have bothered because the boys were oblivious to anything except their own game. And the adults were so engaged in laughing with each other that I probably could have shouted and gone unnoticed.
You might think that I’m ready to jump on my soap box about rowdy boys, but my concern is the adults who accompanied them and failed to offer them any guidance. Their actions led me to three conclusions: 1. The boys are difficult to control so at some point, years ago, the adults gave up and decided to just accept their behavior. 2. The boys are so rowdy, so often, that their conduct no longer attracts the attention of the adults unless it is truly dangerous. 3. The little ones in their care will soon follow the example of the older ones.
I couldn’t quite figure out the composition or purpose of the group. At first glance I thought it was just a group of parents and their children. However, the ages and the ratio of little ones to “moms” led me to the fearful conclusion that it might be a daycare group. I hope I’m wrong about that.
And my big question for the day was WHY take them to the butterfly garden? If you have a group of children who are too young to understand or appreciate the garden + two boys who are too undisciplined to respect it, why not take your group to a large open park where they can all run and play? Why visit a tiny, manicured garden that is WAY OFF the beaten path in another state???? Yes, like us, they had Oklahoma license plates.
So…looks can be deceiving…though I managed to take a few photos of the flowers, I did so while Gary kept an eye out for the boys who threatened to knock me down at any moment. And we cut our visit short when it was clear that the group intended to stay longer. This morning I’m still fearful for the future safety of those little children and I pray that the adults caring for them will grow in maturity and wisdom.
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