Thursday, October 23, 2008

At Odds

I had a talk last night with a member of my family that was so upsetting. It was not because they upset me; it was because what we were talking about was upsetting. You see there are people in both of our lives that are not taking good care of themselves, or their families and it’s totally under their own power to fix. How do you make someone become more responsible? As an adult I don’t think it’s possible to force another adult to be responsible without holding them by the hand and doing it with them. But, then you are not helping them be responsible since you are involved in the action.
I am a person who believes that you reap what you sew. I also believe that hard work will pay off. You don’t get something for nothing. So, I sit and stew about it. It’s really hard when you see children being hurt by irresponsible decisions of others. It makes me feel powerless and a bit depressed. I could help, but it would be like giving someone a fish instead of teaching them to catch their own. Ugh, what to do? Do I stick with my principles, or do I concede for the sake of a child?

1 comment:

SassyCupcakes said...

Is the child ultimately safe and healthy? Are you going to regret not doing something?

It's a tough call. I've completely cut myself off from a family we know because their parenting 'style' isn't something I can appreciate. In the end, I know other people are involved and the children are safe and healthy so I'm okay with it. It is hard though not to step in and offer help.