Park Program

Koen and Eades are old enough to go to the park program near our house. It's just like summer fun when I was growing up. They go on a field trip every Wednesday and swimming at the YMCA every Thursday. They like it because they get to run around and play with kids all day instead of being bored at home. I started taking them there last Monday. When I went to pick them up one of the leaders came to talk to me. She said that the park may be a little "rough" for them. She suggested that I take them to one of the other park programs in Niles. I guess they have three. I told her I would think about it.
I asked the boys and they really wanted to stay at the park by our house. I kind of wanted that too because we can just walk down there and they can actually walk down there by themselves if they have to. Otherwise I would have to wake everybody up, and load them into the van to drive them to another park. So we played it out last week at the park by our house to see if there would be any problems. Luckily there weren't any and the boys found some friends there.
So for now we're going to keep them at this park for convenience but if there are fights there with the older boys or if the kids say a swear or something we're going to have to change parks. The thing I thought was cool is that the leader could tell my boys didn't fit in. This is the first time my kids were considered the "good" ones. I know we don't live in Happy Valley and that my kids will be exposed to less desirable things such as fighting, swearing, and vulgarity but I hope that they can be strong and stay my good little boys. We talk about it a lot and they know that I expect them to be little gentlemen.
I suppose if the world around us gets to "rough" and I see it influencing the boys more than Tony and I we'll have to make some major decisions but my hope and prayer is that they'll be the ones that influence their friends to be better and that they'll remember to be gentlemen and do what's right.