Some situations are viewed in black and white; right and wrong. Yet, many people think situations also have a grey area where solutions are not so easily discerned. This is not just about the choices people make, but the thought process they go through to arrive at their decisions.
What Do You Think? Submitted for Your Consideration & Conversation
Your neighborhood gets together for a barbecue. New neighbors have moved in, and since the weather is good you all get together. Everyone moves freely across several connected backyards where grills are going, making lunch for everyone to share.
As you get to know the new neighbors and chat with the old, you notice your youngest child is getting a little unruly. At first, he’s just tossing some rocks and being a little annoying.
Your spouse talks with the child and he stomps off to the next yard.
As you head toward the yard — ready to grab one of the burgers being served — you see that your son is now stomping through the neighbor’s flower bed. A determined look on his face, you can tell that he is aiming his feet to land on their plants and deliberately damage them.
Looking around, you can tell that no one has noticed him so far; but every minute he is doing more damage and he could be spotted soon.
Do you think that you should take your child home immediately, or would you remove him from the flower bed and stay? Would you feel comfortable staying to eat your burger? If no one saw, and you felt you could get away with your son being fingered as the culprit, would you keep silent? Do you think you would be more likely to say nothing, or arrange to replace them?
Alternatively, what if it was someone else’s child behaving this badly? Do you think you would react differently?
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