Even in our little town we have crime. It breaks my heart. I wish we could be immune, but of course we are not.
A couple weeks back someone cut the cables on one of our vehicles and stole the battery. It couldn't have gotten them more than $10 and it cost us $70 to repair and replace.
This really seemed to get to Brady. He was immediately fired up, ran and got his scooter and said we needed to go "look for suspects" in the 30-degree weather. So we rode/walked around town - it doesn't take long, ha! - and looked at people we saw.
If we knew them, Brady was certain they were not a suspect. Or if they were a "little old lady" he was just certain they couldn't be involved.
When we were done, he ran in the house, grabbed a pencil and paper and wrote our town cop a note which we mailed a couple days later. Here's a picture of page 2:
I love that he knows our town cop by name and feels so comfortable communicating with him. The next day we saw the guy up town, across the street, and Brady hollers out: "Hi! I sent you a letter. There's a criminal in town!" The affable officer smiled and said, "Okay!"
I also love that Brady feels so strongly at 8 in his ability to affect change. I hope that quality stays with him as he grows up.
It's unlikely the culprit will ever be found. But at the very least it served as a learning experience for my boy.
Posts
What Brady did was really commendable! Good call on informing the local cop about the incident.
ReplyDeleteThank you! He was very serious about the whole thing and really wanted to make sure the police knew!
DeleteAw, yes, it is great that he felt comfortable to write the cop and that he feels justice will be done. I'm sorry for what happened. Every time someone has gone through my car (it's happened 3 x in my life when I've unfortunately forgotten to lock my car) it never fails to surprise me and make me mad.
ReplyDeleteI love the way he handled it. I'm always telling him, if something happens, we tell the police. So I guess he must have heard me! It's terrible when someone does something like that :(
DeleteThat's wonderful that Brady knows the officer by name, so that way he will always be able to feel safe.
ReplyDeleteI love that he has no problem hollering across the street, ha!
DeleteAww. His letter is cute. :) I'm glad that you encouraged him to write his letter. We need more young people getting involved, in politics,in business, in mentoring, otherwise our country will just continue on it's downward spiral.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree. I love it when young people feel they can make a difference!
DeleteThis is awesome! My stepson wrote two letters in his younger years. One was to fix the road in front of their house that was littered with potholes so cars could drive safely and he and his friends could skateboard. (It was fixed.) The other was when he was 6 or 7. He didn't tell his mom or stepdad but mailed a letter to the county commissioner to request an arena sized football field be built in their backyard to use for recreation for the city. He got a letter back that was very kind and matter-of-fact, telling him that the marsh and swamp land would not allow for that type of project. We was floored, and we were so excited that he got a response. Kids have no fear!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, how cool that his letters made a difference. That is amazing he got a response too. Not everyone would write the kid back.
DeleteSo cute! That is so sweet of him!
ReplyDeleteAwww how cute and sweet of him to stand up for something he felt so strongly about. I love his letter just adorable!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! I was so proud of him :)
DeleteI still remember the town cop from my youth - we called him Uncle Andy. He always dropped by the public school at some point in his day, if he could. We always felt safe and I still remember his bike safety lessons, and stay away from water in the spring. funny that my kids hear the same in our small town so many years later.
ReplyDeleteHow cool you remember that! I wonder if Brady will remember ours. I think it is very neat that he came by the school. Our elementary school is several miles away, so I don't imagine ours does that. I love how personal everything is in a small town.
DeleteYou GO Brady! I also hope that he keeps the spirit of standing up for what's right and for initiating change as he grows older. You're doing a good job with that one mama!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Missy! He really surprised me with how strongly he felt about it!
DeleteCeep on the lookout. I love it!!! So sweet! And you're right, a great lesson!
ReplyDeleteLOL, thank you! He spelled most of the words on the letter himself! Just asked me about a few of them :)
DeleteHow cute. I hope he keeps making a difference as well! Never to young to start making a difference.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about that! The younger they feel it, the longer it will stick with them I think.
DeleteYou always feel violated--no matter how small the crime. I'm glad his reaction was not fear but to try to seek justice in the right manner!
ReplyDeleteI know it. He just couldn't believe anyone would do that. And yes, I too am glad he reacted in the appropriate way!
DeleteSorry to hear something was stolen from you. People can do desperate things when they are desperate for money.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that Brady wrote a letter to the police officers. I bet they loved getting that in the mail!
I know it. They must have really needed money, not that it would have gotten them much.
DeleteI'm sorry about the situation but I love how he wrote a letter like that!
ReplyDeleteHow adorable is that? Who knows? Maybe he will grow up to be a small town police officer! Or a private investigator! Kudos to you, Steph, for encouraging his pursuits even to the point of walking around town when it was 30* out!
ReplyDeleteLoved it!
Blessings to you
~Heather @ The Welcoming House Blog
PS---Sorry about the battery being stolen, as that just sucks. :(
Hi Heather! You know, it would not surprise me if he did. Though it wouldn't surprise me either if he was a soccer player or astrophysicist, ha! He has an interest in everything :) Thank you for your kind words. I love to indulge his pursuits whenever I can.
DeleteIsn't it wonderful how kids learn right from wrong at an early age! He knows what it feels like to have something stolen, so hopefully this teaches him a lesson along with a bit of empathy! I'm glad he felt like his voice would be heard if he wrote a letter. Thanks for this story - it lets me know that the kids of this generation are alright!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I hadn't thought of that, but he learned what it felt like to have something taken. That is an important lesson. Thank you for the good point!
DeleteAdorable! Any police officer would be happy to get a note like that. I know because I work with them. My husband is a retired one and my family is still full of them. All Children should be taught to trust police officers and believe in Justice.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amanda! I think it is such a noble profession, to protect and serve and even to see some of the worst of humanity sometimes :( I used to cover police beat for a newspaper and I was amazed at all they did.
DeleteLove that! Such a cute note and way to go to stick up for his family! Sorry to hear how this story had to come about.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. I was proud of how strongly he felt about it and how he handled it. Turning a bad into a good :)
Deletegood job on your boy. :)
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that your son has a good relationship with the local policeman. Cute story; thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Nancy. I am so glad he knows who our policeman is.
Delete