Holiday week-end

Today we directed traffic from 1:30 to 4:00pm. I had a good time but I was ready to go by 4:00pm. I was starting to overheat. I'll say there's some riff-raff coming in here. Most visitors entering the park are cheerful, but man, some people have a chip on their shoulder. It's sad to see young people with such tough and hardened demeanor. By young I mean in their 20s and 30s.

We're saving a ton of money since we're spending less on fuel here than in San Diego and we have no space rent to pay. Another nice thing is that our son doesn't get roughed up when he's out on his bike here. I tell you, the kids can sure be rotten. The thing is they're all wanting to be different, especially so because it's an urban area, which is the normal state of things for youngsters. Yet here's a kid, our kid, who really is different and whattya think? They called him weirdo and Mr. Retard and hit and pushed him around a few times. Even a 14 year old kid did it. I think a 14 year old who's hanging around with 5-11 year olds has other issues as well. And his hat - he had to hit some kids for grabbing his cowboy hat but ultimately it was ruined from being thrown around. Next year when the children at that San Diego campground take his hat (there are people who actually reside in the campground called 'seasonals' and it means they live in a trailer but do not travel) I'm going to speak directly with their parents. It was an expensive hat. My husband bought him a new one today.

But I'm glad our son never shied away from venturing outside. I am glad that the name calling rolled off of him without damage. I attribute his strength and individuality to home education and his resolve to discipleship. I tell our son, "Be like a rattlesnake. Never hit anyone first, always give fair warning, and if you have to hit someone make sure they won't forget it." Course, that's not straight out of the Bible, that's from me, and I think they call it socialization in the outside world. Kids must defend themselves or else. Where playground politics are concerned, it's survival that counts and rallying and expending energy to survive is like a parasitic disease that sucks the life out of a healthy host.

One of the kids even asked him point blank, "When will you look like us?" He told them, never. (He's a cowboy and wears boots, belt buckle, shirts, and hat all the time.)

As his mom, I wonder if his hardheadedness is too much. He's my rugged individualist. My mother's intuition tells me, it will be both his strength and his weakness.