Are you ready for Thanksgiving? We are ready, mostly. It's not my favorite holiday, but G likes to cook and relax at home and celebrate in a quiet way and that's fine by me. We will eat, drink and be merry. I'll reminisce about the good 'ole days when Thanksgiving was something to write home about and then give thanks for the memories, even if today's celebration is is less remarkable. Still, I am blessed and happy and try not to take anything for granted. I try not to jump to conclusions, either.
Speaking of conclusions, let me share a story of how somebody did just that today. While it is a day off for the kids and a day off for G, I had to work. We had Thanksgiving baskets to give out to the needy and Friday's work needed to get completed today since we are closed Friday, and that's just a a small part of my day. Anyway, a reporter from a local newspaper called our house, and Jeff apparently answered the phone. Not long afterwards, G went to answer the door, thinking it was somebody else he was expecting, only to find himself staring at a police officer. The police officer was there to determine if there was, in fact, a 3 year old boy home alone, because they had received a call claiming as such.
Really?
Naturally, G was offended and said as much. When he was told who made the call, he questioned me because it was odd that they would do such a thing. After all, the owners of this newspaper are neighbors and our kids go to school together. They know us well enough to know that the last time we had a 3-year-old was over five years ago.
After some deliberation, I was able to determine who made the call. The reporter was calling to speak to me about a story he wanted to run and I hadn't yet returned his first phone call, so he must have been following up. I called our neighbor and relayed what had happened, and she said she would check for me. Later, I called the reporter myself and spoke to a woman at the residence. "Oh, you must be the woman with the little boy and the police." Yeah, that's me. Negligent mother of the year! "He felt awful about that," she told me. "He thought he was doing something good." I'll bet he did.
I'll bet he was also disappointed that there was not a 3-year-old home alone. Wouldn't that have made for a great cover story?
So, there you have it. This is exactly the type of thing that can get you into heaps of trouble if you jump to the wrong conclusion. How about running with that story, Mr. Reporter? Thanks for not questioning your boss who would have squelched your great idea for an abandonment story before you had the chance to imagine it and that you'd have the exclusive. As disappointing as that is for you, we are that much more offended.
Happy Thanksgiving, though. Really.
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