What?!?!?!

My kindergartener wanted to know what we'd be doing that day when I picked him up from school. When we got home, he suggested we go to the 'prk.' He is learning to put sounds together to form words. Since he was so close, I said, YES! We went to the nearby park. I was near the end of having read my third book in the trilogy (from Stieg Larrson) and I thought it'd be cool if the kiddos could play while I read the last pages.

We arrived at the park and I went to sit under this pavilion in a spot where I could read and watch the kids. I noticed a couple older teenagers on a bench across from me when I was getting comfortable. A page or two later, one of the teens said, politely, "Excuse me." I looked around and noticed they were filling up their cigar with something and it clicked as he continued talking to me. "I just was letting you know I was doing this." I considered this for a second as I quickly responded. I'm sure they couldn't see the shirt I was wearing as an emblem on it was the state of Texas and a big star (it was from the Texas Probation Association) from which I was a member all those years working for the Probation Department. I said that I...didn't care (I really did)...but that if my kids came around...could they please move. It really wasn't a question or request. I then returned to reading, or rather trying to read.

I considered the situation while looking at the pages not being able to read for a few minutes afterwards. On one hand, the teen was very polite and considerate (not something I see every day especially in my neck of the woods.)I guess he was giving me the opportunity to move if I didn't want to be near them when they smoked (or the smoke.) On the other hand, hello?!?, they're illegally smoking marijuana (and possibly something else) in the park during the day. I wanted to give them a lecture right then and there about a whole bunch of things including their health concerns while smoking, being a role model, drug testing/job applications options, getting a ticket/being arrested for committing a crime...you name it, it all went through my head in just a few seconds. But I go to that park frequently and lived nearby, I didn't want to have any backlashes in my attempt at morality to strangers. I was ambivalent. As it turned out, I stayed there and realized a few minutes later that they moved. Apparently, they decided against it, or they chose to move elsewhere to 'do their thing.' And my kids luckily never came around during any of this...