Another thing yesterday’s adventure with the Kirby sales people pointed out to me was just how lacking in street smarts the kids are. In fact, I had this point driven home to me in rather dramatic fashion when I turned around to see the boy and the lass on the floor showing one of the sales people the money from their piggy banks. To say I was stupefied was an understatement. To make matters worse, when I told them to take that stuff back upstairs and put it away, they asked me “Why?” in all sincerity.
It was a double facepalm, fall off my chair moment if ever there was one.
I’ve never wanted to try and scare them about strangers. But their display of ignorance regarding strangers and what it’s OK and not OK to tell them forced my hand. While we were eating dinner, I went through a long spiel about not knowing what strangers might be after and not to tell them anything more than is necessary. Even going so far as to explain that they could have been there to scope out our house so they could come back some time and rob it. By the time it was over, the boy told me “Dad, I don’t want to eat anymore because the conversation kind of upset me.”
I initially felt a tinge of regret. But that was soon replaced by the notion that it’s better to cause him to lose his appetite than to become a statistic because of his own ignorance. That would be a tremendous failure of my job as a parent. To be honest, I’m upset with myself for not having done a better job of explaining the potential dangers a stranger can present. But, at least I get to rectify the situation.
2 replies on “Not So Street Smart”
I would have to say that a different perspective may be that you have to be careful how badly you beat yourself up over this. Most likely, the kids believe that if Dad lets someone into our house, it is safe to treat them like any other guest. They might not be able to differentiate the difference between someone that you would consider a stranger or a friend, based on if that person is in the house, while you are the gatekeeper. Essentially, if Mom or Dad let them in and are talking to them, they must be okay to talk to and play with…
I wasn’t there, but just as a different perspective, the devil might be in the details. This would have to be compared with how they would interact with a random person on the street. If they open up their wallets in that scenario, then you probably have some work to do…I could get you in to a few neighborhoods in Baltimore that would hammer it home really quick.
I agree with Noel; the children are innocent where dangerous strangers are concerned. Their experience with anyone who comes to the house has been to welcome a guest. You have done lots of entertaining, so their conclusions were based upon a working knowledge of their limited experience. Your remote geography [and dogs] don’t allow for many sales people or random visitors. You [as parents] have always had close control of their interaction with any stranger and if YOU tolerate an individual, chances are: they will too.
Everyone learned a lesson from this experience !