When I went for Catalyst (Christian Conference) earlier this summer, they gave us a plant each to take back home with us. We were supposed to take care of them. Three of us from the same apartment went but we ended up with 4 plants because one of our friends left his behind with us. I ended up taking care of all of them. They sit in a neat row on a little concrete block outside the door to the apartment where I no longer live.
Today, I received a phone call from my friend while I was on the job. Apparently, some kids decided that it would be fun to smash the plants in the pots right outside the door. I don't think they realized that my friend was in. She was in the kitchen making lunch when she heard a noise outside. According to her, they were "...hurling the pots to the ground". By the time she got out, the kids ran off but the neighbour across from us saw what had happened and called Campus Security.
When they apprehended the kids, my friend was asked if the plants were hers and she said no...she told them that they were mine despite the fact that I don't live there anymore. Next thing I know, I got a call from Campus Security telling me what had happened and they asked me if I wanted to press charges. They even recommended that I press charges. I mean, these were kids for goodness sake! They were like 9 or 10 years old according to my friend.
I told them that it wasn't neccessary and then they asked me if it would be better if I was recompensated for the 2 pots that they smashed. I said fine...that will work. Thinking that the whole fiasco was over, I didn't think about it any further. About 10 minutes later, I got a call from the police itself! =.=" They once again asked me if I wanted to press charges and I said no. They gave me the case number and told me that they will get in touch with the kids' parents because it's no longer a criminal case but a civil one. Fine...whatever!
We had a couple of friends over for dinner today and in the middle of dinner, I got a call from one of the boy's mum asking me if I knew why her son did what he did. =.=" She even asked me if my "son" was there and that could've prompted what happened. I told her I didn't have a son. She further asked me if I knew her son. I was like..."Why would I even know your son?". She told me that she was sorry about the whole affair and would call me back in about a week to settle the whole mess and I told her that it was alright.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for both the kids and their parents. I mean, those boys were like 9 or 10 years old. What were they doing around the neighbourhood vandalizing property? How come their parents didn't know where they were or what they were up to? I didn't want to prosecute because that would mean giving the kids a juvenile record at such a young age. That is not cool at all! I couldn't help but feel sorry for their parents because they have to deal with their kids who are this way at such a tender age. I am so grateful for my parents keeping a close eye on me while I was still growing up. Who knows what nonsense I could have gotten myself into?
*The Wandering Jews are the names of the plants that got smashed
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4 comments:
haha..
So weird. it's just a plant and it involved the police.
I wonder when would Malaysia has that kinda law.
Cool in a way.
Shoulda sued their ass, file for emotional trauma and all that, make up some bull story about how your dying grandma gave em to you, sue the parents, give the brats a juvie record.
don't let anybody mess with you! an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! god's prophet said that!
haaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Well, it did involved the vandalism of your property and in that sense, it's against the law. I was just as surprised myself to learn that the police got involved. I guess over here they take things more seriously.
Anonymous: I think everyone needs a second chance. Don't you? Those were kids, they probably lacked better judgement and decided to do something stupid. I hope they learnt their lesson though.
Foo' kids don't learn lessons so quickly. There's a difference between spoiling their lives and teaching them that that is wrong. Sadly, the only way kids these days will learn is through fear. Parents are too out of control these days, most parents don't even bother with their kids all that much. "Ah, let em do whatever they want, they're just kids, besides they're my little angels, I never see them but I know they're good, if they get in trouble it must be the other kids (your kids, remember? she was trying to push the blame off to you) who influence him. " The only way the parents would actually bother disciplining the kids is if the parents are directly affected, and in this world, the only way that would happen is monetarily. If you just let it go, you tell the parents "don't worry about it, they're just kids" the parents won't do anything about it! Unless you convince the parents that while you're not going to press charges, you are still unhappy about it, and make a little noise, only that's when the parents will actually discipline their children!
Can't blame the parents too, they've got a lot more on their minds these days. But that doesn't mean you should just lie back and take it. If the kid doesn't learn a lesson, he wouldn't change.
Not everyone had the benefit of good parenting and good environments the way we (I assume) did. If you turned out good, it's the result of the environment as much as it is because of you...
But the environment you grew up in is a reason, but NOT an excuse... Abraham Lincoln came up from failure after failure to become the president. Edison tried about a thousand designs before finally coming up with the plans of a successful light bulb. A local example - Tan Sri Anantha Krishnan grew up in a slum near Brickfields. Now he's the richest man in Malaysia. Well, second richest, after the Sugar King.
But I digress.
You get the idea, though.
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