13 year old boys are idiots

A neighbor kid along with his little friends were in the alley behind my house and for some reason one of them decided to break a window. I was in the backyard trying to get my little grill going to roast some peppers when I heard the crash of pane glass. Pane glass breaking has a different sound from glass bottles and car windows. I immediately hopped up on a chair to see what was up and saw a group (5 or more) kids running down the alley. I screamed at them and then recognized one and told him he was in trouble.
I went into the alley to see if they actually broke a window, and if so, was it to an occupied house. There was a couple peering over the fence and apparently the kids broke their window, we talked and I told them which house one of the kids lived in. Later I called another neighbor to get the phone number of the adult responsible for the kid I recognized, so I could give her a heads up. As far as I know the police have not been involved yet, and it looks like everything going to be worked out between the adults.
Reflecting on this, boys are idiots. It would have been pointless to ask “what were you thinking?” They probably weren’t. And to do something so stupid “one block” from where you live, very stupid.

7 thoughts on “13 year old boys are idiots”

  1. Hey, I was the lesser half of the couple peering over the fence. Thank you so much for getting involved. With your info, we went to talk to the Aunt (who is the guardian) and she was extremely helpful and apologetic. We confronted the nephew. He admitted doing it then reneged. Either way, the aunt has agreed to pay for the window and we are considering whether to make the nephew work off the debt, rather than saddling the Aunt with the full amount.

    Again, I want to thank you for being a good neighbor.

  2. By the way, I have the aunt's name and phone numbers, along with the kid's name. Happy to share with you when I see you in the neighborhood.

  3. I've known the aunt for a while, I just didn't have her number. Now I do. I don't have all my neighbor's numbers because sometimes it is easier to walk down a few doors.
    This incident is one of those "it takes a village" moments.

  4. kudos, mari, for (hopefully) helping this kid stay on the right path. i know it's hard to say one way or another, but i'd like to think this might be one of those moments that sticks in his craw and pushes him down the right path in his life…

  5. This is interesting. Someone threw a rock through our back bedroom window 8 days ago. Marie, I'll have to stop by and ask you for more info. Thanks, Liz G.

  6. Well Liz, they are not the only rock throwing idiots in the neighborhood. I think earlier this year I chased off another group of boys who had destroyed the windows of the new condo that was getting built, Bryan's window, and the house next to mine as it was finishing renovations. Those kids were targeting places under some sort of construction. Those idiots live on 1st Street.

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