Two little juvenile delinquents attempting to tag a street sign. They're so short that even the taller one has to stand on his up-tilted skateboard to reach the bottom of the sign.
I snap a few shots, then step out onto my porch and take another. They look over, startled."Hey!" I yell at them. "Stop right there!" I march over.
"We weren't doin' nothin!"
"The hell you weren't. Give me that marker." The kid hands it over.
"What are your names? How old are you? Do you go to school here? Where do you live?"
To my surprise, they answer, completely cowed. The smaller one starts saying, "We're sorry! We're very sorry!" They're both trying hard not to cry.
"This is a nice neighborhood and what you're doing is WRONG. I've got pictures of you, and I'm keeping your marker. If I ever see you around here again, you're in BIG TROUBLE. Now SCRAM."
They hightail it out of there.
| Yes, it does appear that my Halloween costume of the scary neighbor lady was a self-fulfilling prophesy. "Damn kids! Get off my lawn!" And I've got the proof right here. |  |
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I used to tell my dad that he was going to end up being the grouchy old man on the block. But I'm the one that ended up that way!
ReplyDeleteRight on! I think people do need to take more action when it comes to caring for their communities. :) And hey, I'm sure those kids are definitely going to think twice before tagging another street sign which will be MUCH better for them in the long run. (Can you tell I'm a grouchy lady, too? lol.) Personally, I like to think that I'd rather live with that than knowing I did nothing.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I think the world would be a better place if more people had a little pride in their neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteomg, that is frakking hilarious! love the picture of the crazy neighbor lady costume :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Little boys are evil incarnate. :o)
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is the whole time I'm thinking, "What do I say? What do I do? Wow, these kids are really scared!" Since I'm not a teacher or a parent, it was definitely a new "grown-up" experience for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm just sorry I didn't take close-up photos (mug shots) of them. I certainly could have.
Good for you the little thugs! Too bad you couldn't get them to do some weed pulling or something to keep them busy. Obviously they need something constructive to do!
ReplyDeletei think i'd cry too...
ReplyDeleteI was going to type, "Good for you!" But someone already did.
ReplyDeleteGood job. It's nice to know that people are looking out and not just sitting back and letting things happen.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Julie. Someone else suggested I get them to remove the bees from my tree.
The puzzling thing is...what idiot tags in the middle of broad daylight?
ReplyDeleteHAIL THE CONQUERING HE-RO!!!
ReplyDeleteYou rock!
Yes, most middle school kids are cowards by nature, and will give in when confronted. It was probably easier for you than it would have been for me--they are used to treating teachers with no respect. But when a REAL person confronts them? Yeah, that's when it hurts.
And that's when teachers can say: "Nanner nanner boo-boo! I told you so!"
Amy
p.s. It's hard to tell from the picture if that's the CJ I know. The dark-haired kid is a mystery to me. I've never seen him before.
dg strong:
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question: middle school kids do. They think they are invisible.
And then when they are caught, they will look you in the eye and say, "It wasn't me."
It's always amazing to watch. It must work for them somewhere.
Reason No. 837 to always have the camera handy!
ReplyDelete