Vandals

  

Mt plan was for a Remembrance day post today but not to be. The church close to us has a very nice poppy display on the side of the building which I took a few photos of. There is a spotlight too so at light it is lit up. That was the intention at least but other events have changed my mind. 

First thing on Sunday morning I had to take the dog down the park to the local skate rink against my better judgement still trying to contain my fury. The intense anger is only surpassed possibly by frustration. I feel like I need to let out a primal scream that will be heard for miles around until my throat dries out completely. I feel like kicking walls and all the rest. But also a little voice is telling me to just accept things and move on.

On Saturday my wife took the oldest and youngest up north to see her dad. She had hoped for an overnight but because of current restrictions she had to come home instead. Middle child didn't know that know. She was allowed to stay with me as she had promised to go out with her pal . Without going into it some past events when she has gone out in the last year means that I was not happy about her going out while it was just me to look after her. She is my daughter but let me just say I cannot  go to a hospital or a police station or pick her up from somewhere far off or go out looking for her if it came to that. But it was my wife that allowed her to go out even though she was going away and at the time expected to be away all night. She allowed our daughter to go out on the promise she would be back at six.

She went out thinking it was just me and her for the rest of the night. As such she knew I could not go out looking for her if she didn't come home on time. I emphasised that this was a trial and if she disappointed me she would not be allowed to do this again. I should also point out that I could not contact her as she broken her iPhone. Instead she was using a phone given to her brother by her cousin. I won't go into detail but I spent 3 hours livid not knowing where she was and when she came home she had crocodile tears. I was too angry to ask. Eventually she blurted out that some boys had taken her phone and smashed it up down at the skate park. When my wife came home later she hit the roof. She asked why I had not gone down into the darkness of an unlit skate park to confront a mob of drunk teenage boys. Part of me thought I should too but then part of me thought what would be the point. It was done. I would not get the phone back. She did not know who did it. The police would not do anything. Angst all round. 

So the following day I went down the park and in the photo above is all that remains of the phone. It turns out she left her phone there by accident and when she went back to look for it some boys had it. Not just that but despite her tears they took great delight in smashing it to bits in front of her. As much as I'd like to throttle them I can't get by my anger at my daughter knowing the situation and being so selfish. This all happened after six. Her friend had gone home at that time as planned but she decided to stay out with another friend she met. She knows we are strapped for cash but despite that has ended up with a smashed phone. Before that another broken phone and before that she got after a phone her auntie which she left on a train a few days after getting it. That is two angry autnies on top of everything else. Frustration definitely trumps anger here. She needs a phone but we have no money to give her one and to be honest even if I had the money I could not use it on a phone right now given I know what would no doubt happen next. These iphones are not cheap but they treat them that way.

I would like to think she has learned her lesson but I don't think she has. For whatever reason her and her friends seem to gravitate towards these types of mindless yobs.