Character

I am pissed at two specific members of the youth population. However, these are not unique youth, they are your everyday variety of wanna-be thug with equal parts attitude, disdain and entitlement. It all went down like this.

The kids and I were eating watermelon and lasagna talking about our day around the dinner table. Laughing and agreeing on the best and worst parts of our day when the dust of a darkly-tinted white coup caught my attention mostly because of the high rate of speed it achieved coming down my driveway. I watch with some curiosity as the driver took the curve in our circle drive at approximately 38 miles an hour. I expected Richard Petty to walk up to my door and try to sell me some Goody Power.

Instead of Richard Petty, two scrawny half dressed male teenagers I had never before laid eyes upon exited the vehicle and approached the pasture fence as the car and driver exited the property as quickly as she had arrived. My first thought: Bruce will get them.  Not so, Bruce was much too intently feasting his eyes upon our lasagna to get his butt of the porch and investigate.

Sorry animal. Geesh, if one's gift is to be "mean as hell" shouldn't that gift be used at all times?

Since my guard dog fell down on the job I was up to bat.

The kids and I put on our shoes and walked down to the barn to investigate. The youth spotted me and proceeded to walk away further into the pasture without acknowledging my presence.

"Good afternoon, Gentlemen. I don't believe we've met."

grunts coming from the direction of the youth. Something about knowing someone who has a horse here and then more mumbles and failed eye contact as he sipped from his Big Gulp Slushy.

Let me take a moment to set the scene.

     Youth one: Shirtless, jeans clinging to his lower thighs, bleached blonde hair, and 7 body piercing (2 of these were nipple piercings) that I counted. His underwear were blue-pinstriped and I am absolutely FURIOUS that I now know this intimate detail of a perfect stranger all the while holding a Big Gulp Slushy.
     Youth two: Fully clothed with 5 known piercings and a hint of a bicep tattoo.

My sweet, innocent children and their equally modest young friend were standing about 2 feet behind me witnessing the whole scene.

"I am Elizabeth and I own this barn. Since you are not a boarder here or with a boarder you can not be with the horses in the pastures for liability reasons. Feel free to wait in this area, gesturing with my hands, to wait for your escort to come back."

Dumb looks.....Do they speak English I wonder? I consider translating into Ebonics.

''And young man pull your pants up. My children are here as well as myself and have no interest in your underwear."

Young man eyes me (or maybe that's just how his face looks).

I stare at him not moving my position until I see his his right is making progress to release his slushy and raise his trousers 18 inches to his waist.  Why must I parent other people's children? I ask myself. Where is public decency and respect of persons?

Reluctantly, after a few long awkward moments young man pulls his britches up but has to hold them there as they are 15 sizes too large for his frame. I imagine the young man is sizing me up. I mean business. I've clean up cat crap with more character that this creep and he can sense it.

I politely go about my business moving horses and feeding. My children are snickering. They think it's funny that mommy is such a hard-ass to perfect strangers.

As I round the corner with a young colt that requires more attention than I am willing to give my new young guests I notice that youth #1 has let his britches fall and is standing about 5 feet from my impressionable children. Did I mention that this young person has about 16 pounds of metal hanging from his face and nipples?

"Young man, I was serious about your pants. If you can not keep your pants in the vicinity of your navel, leave. I do not appreciate your style and I can not lead my children to believe that this is acceptable dress, you are not a role model for my children."

More snickers from the peanut gallery behind me.

Youth #2 thinks this a good time to pipe up and enter the conversation for the first time. What he says surprises me.

"Yeah man you need a belt. Just hold your pants up until B gets back." Yes ma'am we understand, we will leave and wait for our ride by the road."

There were several more yes ma'am's and I understands. I don't really care. Just get your punk self out of my face.

Apparently, youth #2 had a mother who cared at some point. She had done a wonderful job instilling maternal fear into her spawn that is until she let her son hang out with this riffraff. I believe he sensed a moment was coming and it wasn't going to be pretty and he was right. He seized the opportunity to save his friends' neck from my surprisingly strong death grip around his neck.

His friend should really thank him.

Somehow I don't think that will happen.

My children and I went about our business feeding, watering, grooming and riding our horses. We talked about character, respect, and morals. About what is in your brain is reflected though your dress, attitude and the way other perceive you. I also mentioned that if any one of them came home with a nipple ring or any other disgusting metal adornment I would let Bruce the Devil Dog rip it from their flesh with his teeth.

They liked the thought of that for these two young men.

Mothers and fathers of America, when did it become okay to raise such unimpressive youth? When did Nickelodeon and MTV become acceptable parenting? What happened to:
hard work
respect
humbleness
eye contact
gratefulness
thankfulness
determination
honesty
persistence
cleanliness
helpfulness
loyal
trustworthiness
bravery
reverence
and clothing that covers all required areas of the anatomy.

****Side note**** where are these teens getting their clothing? Surely none of them are employed by a respectable corporation as no employer who wishes to turn an income would hire these children with 15 pounds and metal in their face and buttocks exposed to the elements. So are mom and dad buying kids this attire?

If we don't do the dirty job of parenting the world will and the world isn't nearly as nice about it as mommy.

I'm living proof.