Remember this story?

It happened in March, but it caused a lot of online buzz. I never addressed it at “home”, because I forgot about it — for a moment. But now that summer is here, and all the kids are outside playing, the whole incident was brought to my rememberance. Let me say this:

1. A kid is dead, because he walked on a neighbor’s grass. No matter how crazy that is, we all need to remember: You can lose your life over something “trivial” or unimportant.
2. We need to school our children, regarding the times in which we live — teaching them how to carry themselves in the world, which may result in them living long enough to actually see the world.

Now, before folks start jumpin’ up and down and asking me dumb questions, like, “So, you sayin’ that the man shoulda killed a kid over some…grass?”, let me say upfront: Don’t. Go. There.

I don’t know what actually transpired, before the elderly man gave into his madness and decided to take a human life. But I do know what happens in neighborhoods. There’s always somebody who lives “down the street”, who’s obviously “not all there”, for whatever reason. Everybody in the neighborhood knows it. Parents like mine tell their children, “Now you know Miss (insert any name you wish) is crazy. But she’s still an adult. Respect her and stay out of her yard. If your ball accidentally ends up in her yard, ring her doorbell, and ask permission to go in her yard and get your ball. If she tells me you’ve sassed her, I’m gonna deal with you, understand?”. Be a proactive parent.

Kids today have a lot of mouth. Many of their parents have a lot of issues. Some folks don’t like it when you show a little more concern about the upkeep of your personal surroundings, than the rest of the neighbors. You get labeled. Folks say, “She thinks her house is all that!”. The parent’s issues get passed down to the kids. The kids begin to taunt the “crazy neighbor”. Some elderly adults don’t take kindly to being disrespected by children. Next thing you know, an altercation has taken place. In this day and time, an “altercation” can mean a murder. So sad, but so true.

I don’t know what happened in this situation. I do know that some people like to taunt “crazy” folk. They like to intimidate and push buttons, to get a response. They think it’s funny and harmless. But if the object of the taunting is truly crazy, you don’t know what type of response you’ll get. Some people are able to hide just how crazy they are, until you mess with them.

Teach your children to respect others, especially the elderly. Teach them to respect the property of others. Teach your children that the world is not always a nice place. God protects and directs. However, we still need to be wise and crafty. We need to be able to foresee trouble, and hide ourselves from it. No, we may not escape the madness of every crazy person, but we may escape one crazy person — that one person may be the one who intended to take us out. The times require our children to be much wiser than we were.

So, take this as a warning, which is what it is. I’m not speculating about what went down in that neighborhood, in March 06. I’m talking about everyday happenings in neighborhoods, in general.

A Nappy Girl