Parental care

Saturday morning, 5th June 2014 - I was walking back from a shopping trip. I noticed an unhappy young boy, crying and physically assaulting his mother. The boy was approx 8 or 9 years old  and not strong enough to cause serious physical harm to his mother. As a passer by, what would you do?

As a stranger, it is very easy to carry on with my own tasks and dismiss the incident as "not my problem".

As a life-long Christian I am reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan. When I saw this young boy in distress, it was for me a matter of genuine concern which made me stop and observe what was going on.

Did I step into the breach? Yes I did.

Was it necessary? In my opinion, yes, because newspapers and social media all too often refer to  teenagers, who get into trouble with the law. Violence and abuse has been much in the news too frequently in recent years. If we cannot show the children around us "good behaviour and social decency", God help us..

No one teaches us how to be "good parents" or "good friends & neighbours". I have many friends and family in the UK and Europe. My intimate friends and family know me well enough and will turn to me if they need help. They also know that I will sometimes make the first move and encourage them to bring "hidden concerns" into the open.

Under no circumstance will I ignore people in distress. If they accept my offer to help, I will do what I can to listen and guide them. If they refuse, I will quietly submit a prayer for help to God, a.k.a Allah or Jehovah ...