Ding Dong Ditch…where you ring a doorbell and run away. Ha ha lots of fun, especially for the teenaged boy set.
Except Ivylad has serious back problems. He finds it difficult to sleep for more than a few hours at a time, so with me at work and the kidlets at school, he usually tries to catch a nap during the day.
Today, though, the doorbell rang and Ivylad had to drag himself from the bed, push his walker in front of him to answer the door, only to see three boys running away.
Ha ha.
Now, this wouldn’t have been more than a prank, but for the fact this was the second time it had happend. Ivyboy goes to school with one of the boys, and had confronted him before when the first ding dong ditch occurred, to explain to him about his father and tell him not to do it again.
So this wasn’t a prank. This was getting, if not malicious, then with knowledge aforethought.
Ivyboy went over to the boy’s house after school (skipping golf practice), and said his father was going to go to the school to discuss it with the dean. After all, the circumstances had been explained. It was not funny. Ivyboy came home, unable to defend his father’s honor with fisticuffs because there were three of them and only one of him, and discretion is the better part of valor.
We’re sitting to dinner when the doorbell rings. Again.
I answer it, and there’s two boys, looking rather solemn. They ask to speak to Ivyboy, who goes out to speak to them. Then Ivyboy comes in and says they want to speak to you, Dad.
Ivylad goes out, pushing his walker. At first they boys say they were doing it just to mess with our son (teenaged boys again, you see) but when Ivylad pointed out that our son seldom got home before 6 or 8, what with after school activities, and both time they had DDD’ed in the early afternoon, they were doing it knowing he wasn’t home.
Another explanation of Ivylad’s physical limitations, a heartfelt apology, and the matter is closed.
So, while there may be some punks out there, there are some teenaged boys, who realizing they have really screwed up, will own up to their mistakes and apologize in person, and not wait to be brought before their school dean.
I was very impressed.