One of the things that we enjoy the most about the 4th of July at our cottage is taking the boat out to the middle of the lake and watching the fireworks. There are about a dozen sites around the lake that have fireworks…some are quite elaborate and it can go on for quite awhile.
This year, our neighboring association down the lake decided to get into the act. They had about 25 or so adults and children gathered on their beach. As one of my neighbors was walking her mother – who recently had knee surgery – down our pier to their boat, a firework misfired and instead of shooting up, it headed straight for my neighbor! The exploding shell ricocheted off the water with such force that it drenched my neighbor and her mother and missed hitting them by inches. The only comment from the neighboring association was a kid who said…”That was awesome!” No apology…no one asked if anyone was hurt. My neighbors showed remarkable restraint…they considered all of our kids and did not want them to see the adults get angry.
When I talk about teachable moments, there were several that my kids learned on the 4th of July.
- Fireworks can be dangerous.
- Your life can change in a minute.
- Even in situations that justify anger, you do not have to get angry.
- If you make a mistake, you should take responsibility.
I wonder what the other kids learned…
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