Creepy Kids

My escapades at the park lately have been fraught with encounters with some creepy kids.

My girls, ages 2 and 4, are the epitome of innocence and laughter. They whine, throw fits, and fight, like all siblings, but when they're at the park, you can't help but smile at them as they discover the freedom of swooshing down a slide or flying high in a swing. I try to soak up this youthful energy whenever I can because it is fleeting, and it will expire with age.

Sadly, I have witnessed some unusual children at the park who do not share this type of youthful innocence. One little girl I interacted with yesterday was a sad little thing. One look in her eyes told you she wasn't happy. In fact, even though she was only 4 or 5, her eyes oozed a child-like contempt for everything -- me, my daughters, my husband, the playground, the sky. She did not smile one time while she was there. And her attempts to befriend my 4-year-old failed because my daughter has keen instincts when it comes to other people, especially children.

I don't even want to begin to think how an innocent child can become so numb inside that a glorious playground does not make her smile.

That same day at the park, another girl about 6- or 7-years old followed my 2-year-old around. I know that sometimes older kids like to play with toddlers for a little bit. But she wasn't really playing with my daughter; it was more like blocking her path and taunting her.

Come to find out, the two strange girls were at the park together. And upon further investigating, we finally located the parents -- a couple of dads completely unengaged with their children, relaxing at a picnic table. And it's not just that the dads were taking a breather, they were each covered in tattoos. Their skin was rough, like a pale sandpaper, with a hint of grey to their skin. Not to stereotype, but they really looked like prison inmates, drug addicts or child abusers. We deduced that the dad's were doing their weekly visitation with their kids, being Wednesday night and looking at the circumstances. At least they took their kids to the park, I guess.

I feel terrible inside for these poor children who appeared to have been through some kind of trauma, be it mental, emotional or physical. You could just tell something wasn't all peaches and cream with these kids.

The scary part about this is that I seem to be seeing more and more children like this when I'm at the park, the zoo, the mall, the library, etc. What does that say for our future?

I guess all I can do is continue to give my girls the type of childhood we all should have -- fun, care-free and innocent.