Boys!

I don't think I'll ever understand boys. Not just my boys, but any boys. For the last month or so we have been experiencing a minor form of harassment here at the house. It started with a block of ice, a frozen puddle, being left on our front porch when we had a freeze. It was a pretty large puddle too. It then went to knocks on the door and someone leaving a note behind my doorbell that said, "get ready for the never ending cycle."

When they messed with my door, I called the police. I didn't find the note until the next morning. They left white powder in a baggie on another evening, taped from end to end the opening to my garage, left acorns all over by back driveway, to then smearing dog feces on my front screen door. I later find more tape on my garage door, and still laster a broken glass bottle on my driveway.

My brother, Alex, who is 21 had come over when this all started and tried to catch them, but they didn't show up. He came over yesterday and started going around my property. He found some toilet paper with the poop still on it and down the street found more toilet paper.

He ran into a neighbor walking her dog, and once they chatted she put it all together that it was her son that might have done this. He had had a friend over, Jacob's best friend actually, and she had caught them with TP that night. She went home and compared the TP my brother had with her TP. About 10 min later she brought her son down to apologize and we discussed that he wasn't just pranking he was harassing. She said he would be down later today to clean my front door. I then had to go and talk to the mom of Jacob's best friend.

Now I really like both these boys and considered them "good kids". I know this was just a lack of judgement on their part and I don't want to label them as "bad kids", but rather as kids who made bad choices. I knew them before they did all of this, so I have a frame of reference and know they aren't "bad kids". What they don't realize is for people who don't know them, and hear this story, they are considered "punks" and can do no good.

I don't think we should ever rush to judgement when it comes to kids, especially teens. I wrapped a few houses as a teen and did some things that I shouldn't have, and I turned out OK. Now, I'll be keeping an eye on these boys and making sure I am home if they do come over. I am hoping Jacob has better judgement and can learn to walk away from situations that he knows are wrong and not participate.