My wife and I were at the pool today. This is a public pool and for our small town is quite large. It was about 11 am and we were the only adults in the water.
The local park district had a busload of youngsters at the pool so they could enjoy the summer cooling off.
As I got in the pool, 5, 6, and 7 year olds made a point to tell me that they could swim. “Hey, watch this,” they cried. One boy jumped into the pool near me and said, “I can do cannonballs. Want to see me?”
As I laughed at the excitement of the kids, my wife took me aside and told me to watch out that I didn’t get too close to the youngsters because their teachers were watching. She didn’t want the teachers to think I was some sort of pervert.
Later as we were talking in the pool, she mentioned that she would keep close, so I wasn’t alone “with the kids.”
I remarked to her how silly it was, but got to thinking about it for a long time.
Isn’t it interesting that society has made ANY male suspect if he is alone with a child?
It doesn’t matter if the child is his or not, all men are pigs, you’d hear some say.
My wife loves me and truly wants the best for me is the reason she made mention of the kids to me in the pool. She did not want people to get the wrong idea.
It really shook me to the core because I have spent a good portion of my life educating kids, performing for kids at schools, and working with families for years. I know how precious children are to their families. I’d sooner lock myself in a room somewhere than hurt one of these young ones.
But, you see, the children did not know this was going on. The kids blissfully played, jumped, laughed and did what kids do.
They smiled and ran.
A lot.
Young people don’t remember when kids walked to school with no fear of being taken. Young people don’t remember a time when mothers just whistled outside the door for them to come in, no matter how far afield they had run.
Let the kids run. Let them dance.
Soon enough, they’ll learn to be afraid of every little thing.
Sad.
