Several
times now, we've experienced something that rarely happens in the US.
At home, it's considered quite a breach of etiquette, but here it's
apparently normal. What's the issue? Random strangers critiquing our
parenting.
Today it was the lady at the bus stop coming home.
We had decided to split up; Lisa would take Avery to the store for
ingredients for dinner, and I'd take Elise on home. I took Lisa's
backpack and bag from school, and asked Avery how heavy his bag was
(bags are not permitted into stores at all. Instead, there are lockers
at the front of the store to put them in, but this is generally a
hassle). When he said it was pretty light, I told him to give it to
Elise to carry.
Immediately, an older lady began to harangue us. I didn't get all the Bulgarian she was saying,
but the gist was that this was far too heavy for a delicate flower like
Elise (and those of you who know her are guffawing at this point; she's
anything but delicate!). I think she even disparaged Americans in
general, though I can't be sure. In any case, I took the bag, we walked
away 20 steps, and then I handed the bag back to her.
It
wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Shortly after
we moved in, our landlord was visiting to work out a solution on a
problem we had. While he was there, I noticed that a light bulb was
out, and I asked Avery to replace it. Our landlord just about had a
conniption. How could I be so horrible a parent that I would risk the
very life of my son in CHANGING A LIGHTBULB??? Suffice it to say, in
order to keep the peace, I didn't have Avery change the lightbulb that
day.
Bulgarians are intensely protective of children - and that
means well up into the teen years. The sad thing is that, while a
Bulgarian considers it near child abuse to have an almost 12-year-old
change a light bulb, they probably wouldn't bat an eyelash if that same
12-year-old was out in a public park drinking a beer. OK, that may be
overstating it - but then again, I have personally seen 14-year-olds
doing exactly that.
I don't know that there's a moral lesson
here, other than it's an illustration of how messed-up priorities can
become. How does a society get to the point where they worry about a
bag being too heavy, but turn a blind eye to the epidemic of underage
drinking? This is a big part of the reason why I'm so excited about
working with Scouting - I will have the opportunity to work with young
men in developing skills which they will use for their entire lives, but
also in developing a moral character that will enrich their lives and
the lives of those dear to them.
Your continued prayers are always appreciated. May God bless you as you serve Him!
