All week I have tried to forget about this but to no avail.  Last month, Pumpkin told me that “I feel so stupid, Mom.“  She didn’t want me to take her down to the bus stop because none of the other kids’ mom was down there.  I felt awful because my little girl was growing up.  And yes, when it was raining.  I took the opportunity to walk her down to the bus stop.  They can’t take umbrellas to school.

When I get down there, the kids can’t wait to tell me what my 8 year old neighbor’s daughter, Kayla, did on the bus on Tuesday.  It still makes me cringe.  This little 8 year old girl flashed the entire bus.  At first, Kayla denied that she did it.  She said all that she showed was her stomach.  But the kids kept telling me that she had shown all of her.  They saw her bra.  She denied it until this little boy.  I’m guessing he was about 9 years old turned beat red and said, “Kayla, you were wearing a purple bra with some kind of white design on it.”  Kayla said she wasn’t.  But in a few minutes, she admitted she was wearing a purple bra but it was a Brat bra.  I would say about 9 kids told me the same story so finally Kayla admitted it was true.  She said that she not only mooned the whole bus.  She, also, mooned the kids when she got off the bus. 

I explained to her that was not appropriate for a little girl her age.  She told me that her parents knew about it and didn’t mind.  I believe her.  I believe that she told them.  Two years ago when she was just a kindergartner, she beat some kid up on the bus.  Her drunken mother (my wonderful redneck neighbor) bragged about it all over town.  My heart just goes out for this child.  Children Services has been called several times but her parents know how to fool the system.  Nothing ever comes from it. 

The neighbors told me.  “Well like mother like daughter.”  Since it is a well known fact that her mother mooned my husband.  Not only did she show him her butt by bending over.  We saw everything.  I mean everything that a woman has.  She, also, pulled down her shirt to show us the front side.  For more information about them, please read I would move but only for one reason. 

I’ve tried everything to help these kids.  The neighborhood has as well.  I can’t let my kids play with their kids.  I’m worried about what will happen to my kids or what they will learn to early.  Would you let your kids play with them?   How far would you go to protect your child?

Tell them that you love them. – Think about how much your parents used to tell you they love you.  Remember, how good that felt?  Tell them now.

Hug them every day. – Think about how good a hug feels even from a stranger.  Shouldn’t you be hugging your kids first?

Play their favorite games with them – I sit down and play Candyland with Pumpkin and Monkeyboy all the time.  There have been studies that say that playing a game with a child when they are young opens up communication lines for when they are older.  You don’t want to have to try to open that communication line when they are a teenager.

Read a book at bedtime. - Teachers say it all the time.  Read to your child and they will love reading as well.  I really believe that statement.  Pumpkin is just learning to read so our stories have changed.  She is reading with us.  I think Monkeyboy is picking some of it up as well.

Go for a walk together. - Have you seen how many overweight kids there are today?  Let’s get healthy by taking walks together every evening if possible.  Two or three times a week is good too.  You’ll be surprised how much you talk about during that walk as well.  I learn all about things at school that Pumpkin forgets to mention when she gets home from school.

Ask.  Don’t order. – As much as it is natural, it benefits you more if you ask them to do something.  Rather than order.  Such as:  “Put your bike away now.” to “Do you think you could put your bike away?”  Yes sometimes it won’t work but a lot of the times it will.

Volunteer or donate to a charity. – I like to go through Pumpkin and Monkeyboy’s toys together and find things they don’t play with and donate them to charity.  They feel good about it as well since they know that it is going to someone who might not have what they do.  Doing this will cause your family to be pulled together by a common cause.

Adopt their sport or cause. - If you child loves gymnastics, soccer, dance, etc. make sure that you support them in their effort.  This tells them that you care about what they want.  Think about how you felt as a child and your parents supported your efforts in what you wanted.  Or if they didn’t support it.  How often were you likely to give up a sport if no one paid attention?  How often did you do better if they did support you?

Eat dinner together as a family. – Do you eat with your family at night?  It’s a great way to sit and talk about what happened in each of our lives.  Tell family stories about Grandpa Don or Nana Phyllis.

Make cookies. I learn more about my kids when we are having fun making cookies in the kitchen.  They love to see flour on my nose.  You don’t have to make cookies.  It could be a homemade pizza.  Just something where they see you having fun with them.