Life through a sixth grader

Bill Cosby was on Oprah a week or so ago and he was talking about how the black families aren't "parenting" anymore. That's the reason for the dropouts, the murders, drug problems, etc. I don't think it's limited to black families. The white family dynamic is falling away as well. Yesterday I picked up Tyler after some extra help he wanted in math. His old friend Andrew was there waiting with him. I asked Tyler if Andrew needed a ride home. Tyler went on to tell me how he had to wait at school for an hour or more because then his older brother would be home and that he couldn't get in otherwise. Andrew does this every day- all year. And so in the coldest of weather, this sixth grader walks home alone, about a mile away. Andrew is a very shy kid- even a bit timid. It just broke my heart that he has to do this every day. It doesn't end there. Tyler's other buddy Brandon waits at the school for an hour and a half until his parent(guardian) gets off work after 4pm. And so in the week that I have been praying for the Lord's will in a decision to apply for a part time job at the hospital, I have been shown my answer. The Lord has provided for us in many ways. If sacrificing a bit more means that my kids can come home afterschool and not to an empty house, then it's worth it. I remember that feeling all too well. It's a weird hurt. You kind of feel like your parents could care less if you make it home or not. That's just the way a kid thinks. So an extra hundred bucks a week doesn't seem like enough to justify my kid's security- recession or not. And the other thing that sparked me is that the school is then responsible for the kids "left behind" after school. The Jr. High is not in the best of neighborhoods. I witnessed it firsthand while waiting for Tyler during basketball practice. High school boys and older hang out behind the school intimidating them as they come out. Tyler and his buddies were waiting inside the school yesterday, thankfully. But what happens if the school decides they don't want the liability of babysitting after the bell rings? Those kids will be all outside. It's not a good situation. And yet, I'm not even sure there's anyone still at the school that late besides the janitor. I digress, but the moral of the story is that the American family is failing under our noses. I know a guy that could've helped that aspect- Mike Huckabee! There's always 2012 for him. In the meantime, I'm going to focus my prayers this week on teachers. I pray the Lord will bless them for what have to see, hear, and feel when they see these things happening. It must be an awful burden they feel as they drive home knowing there are kids left at school waiting.....just to go home.