Thursday our neighbor whom I barely knew knocked on my door with a problem. She beseeched me to keep her 13 year old daughter for the weekend as her other "plans" fell through and she had to leave town on "business."
I said, "sure." Anything to help a person in distress.
Friday brought drama and lies began to unravel. A sad girl who needed her mom, but her mom wasn't listening and didn't want to help. What's a well intentioned stranger to do?
Today, I get guilty flowers and an apology from the neighbor and avoided eye contact. I get the impression that I'm no longer able to have a relationship with the daughter, though it has not be said outright.
I am sad for the neighbor's kid, but I guess the only thing that I can do is pray and try to be available?
It's truly heartbreaking that stupid people get to be parents, too. It's the kids that suffer the most.
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4 comments:
What a nice thing for you to do...not sure what I would have done if I had been in your shoes.
That is all you can do because in the end we are not as perfect as we will hope to be as time goes on and though I have judged many a parent in my office, we never truly know what is going on in their reality of life. Life is subjective after all. Would it not be great if it was objective as it always is from our perspective? :)
Aime, thanks for your insight. I know in my heart you are right. And we do all have our weaknesses. That's the real bummer of it all. But at the core I think that's why we have and need community, to help each other be stronger. Do I live in a dreamworld or what?
Hey on a side note regarding the daughter and your relationship with her as long as she is seeking you out or you feel she is in need then don't worry about impressions you are getting, just be there. Can you tell I miss my job, hahaha.
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