Leonard Gray / L’Observateur / June 10, 2000

I’m glad I don’t have children, for if I were a parent, with what I know about what’s out in the world, I’d be one of the most paranoid people around.

However, there is hope in the world, when I see my godchildren and their behavior in certain situations.

Not long ago, my 13-year-old (going on 21) goddaughter, Maggie, was at school playing with a group of classmates. The game being played was”Truth or Dare.” In retrospect, this was likely not the best game for youngteen-agers to be playing, especially in mixed company.

She left briefly to retrieve something from her locker and returned, only to have one of the guys suddenly kiss her on the mouth as part of a “dare.”Rightly enough, she hauled off and slapped him and left the scene.

I heard that and I applauded. I was so proud of her.Her mother, correctly, punished Maggie for playing the game in the first place and praised her for defending herself. My own thoughts are to keepher locked away for, oh, about 10-15 more years but I realize she has to be out in the world and not always under the supervision of caring and concerned adults.

Nice to know she knows right from wrong. Would that all girls her agebehave so well.

She’s no angel, I know. Heck, I’ve known her all her life. My favoritememory of her is when she was 6 years old and playing in the craft store her mother operated at that time.

I was visiting the store and dropped by to watch Maggie temporarily. Shestarted doing things her mother didn’t want her to do and I gave her one paddle on her bottom to get her attention.

She wailed to mommy and once I explained my reason, all was well. A fewminutes later, a very contrite little girl gazed up at me with tears welling in her blue eyes to tell me, “I love you, Uncle Lenny.”I held her hands and told her, quite sincerely, “And I love you, too, Maggie.

Now, do you know why I spanked you?” “Uh, huh,” she said.

“And you’re not going to do that again, are you?” “Nuh, uh,” she responded.

I gave her a hug and that was the end of that. From that day to this, I havenever experienced the slightest rebellion or thought of disobedience from her. There have been a time or two she attempted to test the limits of myauthority but I responded quickly and appropriately. To this very day,we’re the best of pals.

She starts high school this fall. That scares me.I trust she has enough good moral sense to stay straight. Her parents,church and school did their best to instill that into her.

However, Maggie knows she can trust me and believe me. We can still talkhonestly and I hope that trust remains, even though she’s a teen-ager now.

I don’t envy any parent, especially a parent of a teen-ager. It’s a hard,tough world out there, but right and wrong have never changed. The choicesbetween the two are not that hard to make.

LEONARD GRAY is a reporter for L’Observateur.

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