Dear Teens....

This morning we woke up, got dressed, and headed out to meet our family for breakfast. Everything was going great until I started pulling out of the driveway and saw a sheriff's car parked near our house. The officer was outside of his car looking at what you see pictured above. I'm sure you're thinking "Wow, must be a SLOW day if the police are investigating a pumpkin smashing." No, this is just part of the damage that occurred in our neighborhood last night. The neighborhood was hit up by what looks like a bunch of drunk teens. Red plastic cups full of beer were littered all over our street, lawn jobs galore,a bunch of stop signs and street signs were all knocked down, my neighbor's retaining wall was in pieces in the street, and this pumpkin was smashed in front of our house, with a sign stuck in it advertising our annual tree planting day. Normally I would have gone about my business, but then my daughter started screaming. That was HER pumpkin. It was the pumpkin that we bought as a fundraiser for her school. It was the only pumpkin I had planned on buying because it cost me a small fortune (although they also took my fake Styrofoam pumpkins and ripped them to shreds too)! She was screaming, tears gushing down her cheeks, and the police officer was just looking at me stunned, kinda like "How do we turn that off?!"

A bit over dramatic? Yes. But she gets that from me!

I asked the officer if they knew who did it and he replied, "Yeah, we have an idea." I told him to add me to the report. Sure, it was just a $35 pumpkin, but if I was the parent of those kids I would want to know the extent of the damages that my own child caused. I would make them go door to door and apologize and pay for the damages they caused. My daughter, age 5, spent the rest of the day bombarding me with questions about why someone would steal our pumpkins and smash them in the street. I really have no explanation for her. Teens are destructive. Teens are rude. Teens are disrespectful. What's a good response?! According to her, the policeman is going to go hunt them down and throw them in jail. I kinda wish that were true.

So, to my neighborhood's ruthless teens, realize that you are almost adults and as adults "sorry" doesn't cut it. Your parents have worked hard to provide a nice home for you, in a nice area, and your little acts of defiance to the rest of your neighborhood is crappy. We buy your stupid candy bars, your magazines, and your PUMPKINS to help fund your education and your field trips, and you repay us by vandalizing our neighborhood. Please stop. In the meantime, there is a 5 year old here waiting for your apology.