This Thanksgiving, one of my blessings was an unexpected gift from a little boy at a St. Albert park.
I confess I am fairly “old school” when it comes to raising kids. I cringe when I hear a child begging his mom to buy him something at the store and she concedes without lifting her head from texting. I shake my head thinking she’s not going to like reaping what she is sowing in that child. I sat in a restaurant and watched a family of four, all with heads bowed, texting or gaming on their phones, in silence. I am just less than optimistic wondering what will society produce with this kind of disengaged parenting?
We returned after an overnight trip to Calgary. Although we had dog sitting arranged for last night, when we returned late morning, our golden retriever so needed to get out. We grabbed her ball, put her on the leash and headed to the off-leash park. By the time we had walked the couple of blocks, she was wired in anticipation of playtime. There was a young family at the other side of the park flying a kite. As I threw our dog her ball, relieved to see her finally get to run and stretch her legs, my relief turned to panic as I saw her drop the ball and run toward the family flying the kite. Although our eight-year-old Golden is harmless with children, my heart sank when I saw her snatch the little boy’s kite and run off with it. Although she realized fairly quickly she was in trouble, and dropped the kite, the damage was done.
As my husband put our delinquent pooch on leash, I went to apologize profusely, for my dog’s behaviour. I was so embarrassed as I should have known better and anticipated this possible lack of control after us being away. The parents were very gracious; saying that it was a cheap kite that had already broke the first time it took flight. Turning to the little boy, however, I feared an angry tantrum or an outburst of tears. But no, he was a sweet as could be. He said his kite was OK, just a few bite holes but it still worked. No anger, no prompting from mom or dad, just a kind pardon. Wow, he sure did his folks proud, right there. It was no big deal to him. He just lifted the kite off the ground and threw it up in the air again. I shouldn’t be surprised. The parents were his role models. They could have blasted me, but they modeled grace. They were out with their two children and their dog, showing their kids that they are a priority … sowing great seeds.
So today, amongst my countless blessings, I am thankful for parents who still spend quality time with their kids and teach them virtues like patience, understanding and grace. I am encouraged, and for today at least, a little less cynical about our future.
P.S. Embarrassed and flustered, I accepted the little boy’s forgiveness and continued our dog walk with “my tail between my legs.” When I got back home, I grabbed some cash and returned to the park to pay for a new kite, but the family had left. If perchance that mom, dad or someone who knows them, reads this, I’d still like to replace the damaged kite. Please email me: [email protected]
Karen Ehrenholz, St. Albert
