Dear Tazi:
I am sixteen years old and have a problem that I have never had to face before. I live in a good neighborhood. Most would call it upper-middle class, but we work hard for our money and do not live extravagantly (as my mother says) which is how we can afford our nice neighborhood.
There are two little girls who live across the street from me, "Kelly" and "Elaina". I babysit for Kelly, and can tell you first hand that her parents live beyond their means. I see late notices in their mail every month (they leave them out on the kitchen counter) and the phone is always ringing with bill collectors on the other end of the line. This is important to mention because it proves the lies that they are telling - lies that have put me in a problem spot.
Elaina's family is financially comfortable, from what I hear. They do not flaunt their wealth, but are very generous with others. Elaina's birthday is a month before Christmas, and her parents bought her a brand new pink two-wheeler. It is a very nice bike, and I oohed and ahhed over it when she showed it off to me. I also saw Kelly act very jealous towards Elaina's new bike and she said that she was going to get one just like it for Christmas.
Tazi, two weeks before Christmas I was stuck inside with the flu and I happened to be looking out the window when I saw Kelly go into Elaina's garage and come out with the new bicycle. I thought she was just borrowing it and didn't make a big deal out if it until the next day when a police officer came to my door to ask if I had seen anything suspicious. The bike had been reported stolen! I didn't know what to say, so I just said that I had been inside sick with the flu for the past week.
The next day, Kelly was flaunting "her" new bike, saying her Nana from out-of-state had sent it to her as an early Christmas gift. When I mentioned how generous a gift the bike was to Kelly's mother, she shrugged and quickly changed the subject. Tazi, I cannot believe that Kelly's parents would be so low as to allow their child to steal another kid's bike and pretend that it was a gift! I would love to go to the police and tell them what I saw, but then I would be out of a babysitting job, which I really need. On the other hand, I am not comfortable babysitting for people who would allow their child to steal.
As of now, I have not done anything. Elaina has not seen Kelly with "her" new bike, so I don't think she knows what has happened. Obviously, this will not stay secret forever and when Kelly is seen with Elaina's bike things are going to get ugly. Should I just leave well enough alone and hope the problem solves itself? Or should I report what I saw to the police?
Signed,
Bicycle Blues
Dear Bicycle Blues:
I understand that you need your babysitting job, but how long do you think it will be before these people try to cheat you? They have already proven themselves capable of stealing from a child. Do you still trust them to do right by you? If you are not careful, your bill for services rendered may be the next "past due" notice they receive when they run out of money to pay you.
If I were you, I would contact the police and tell them what you saw. You may be allowed to remain anonymous, especially if the people involved crumple when confronted with their crime. if, however, they choose to stand by their story an investigation will take place - there will be a paper trail of the gift charges and delivery - and your story may be needed to bolster the truth.
As difficult as it can be to stand up for what is right, in the end it will help you. If you try to hide the crimes of others, you may develop a reputation of being untrustworthy, whereas if you come clean you reputation will shine, which could lead to new and better babysitting opportunities.
Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
I am sixteen years old and have a problem that I have never had to face before. I live in a good neighborhood. Most would call it upper-middle class, but we work hard for our money and do not live extravagantly (as my mother says) which is how we can afford our nice neighborhood.
There are two little girls who live across the street from me, "Kelly" and "Elaina". I babysit for Kelly, and can tell you first hand that her parents live beyond their means. I see late notices in their mail every month (they leave them out on the kitchen counter) and the phone is always ringing with bill collectors on the other end of the line. This is important to mention because it proves the lies that they are telling - lies that have put me in a problem spot.
Elaina's family is financially comfortable, from what I hear. They do not flaunt their wealth, but are very generous with others. Elaina's birthday is a month before Christmas, and her parents bought her a brand new pink two-wheeler. It is a very nice bike, and I oohed and ahhed over it when she showed it off to me. I also saw Kelly act very jealous towards Elaina's new bike and she said that she was going to get one just like it for Christmas.
Tazi, two weeks before Christmas I was stuck inside with the flu and I happened to be looking out the window when I saw Kelly go into Elaina's garage and come out with the new bicycle. I thought she was just borrowing it and didn't make a big deal out if it until the next day when a police officer came to my door to ask if I had seen anything suspicious. The bike had been reported stolen! I didn't know what to say, so I just said that I had been inside sick with the flu for the past week.
The next day, Kelly was flaunting "her" new bike, saying her Nana from out-of-state had sent it to her as an early Christmas gift. When I mentioned how generous a gift the bike was to Kelly's mother, she shrugged and quickly changed the subject. Tazi, I cannot believe that Kelly's parents would be so low as to allow their child to steal another kid's bike and pretend that it was a gift! I would love to go to the police and tell them what I saw, but then I would be out of a babysitting job, which I really need. On the other hand, I am not comfortable babysitting for people who would allow their child to steal.
As of now, I have not done anything. Elaina has not seen Kelly with "her" new bike, so I don't think she knows what has happened. Obviously, this will not stay secret forever and when Kelly is seen with Elaina's bike things are going to get ugly. Should I just leave well enough alone and hope the problem solves itself? Or should I report what I saw to the police?
Signed,
Bicycle Blues
Dear Bicycle Blues:
I understand that you need your babysitting job, but how long do you think it will be before these people try to cheat you? They have already proven themselves capable of stealing from a child. Do you still trust them to do right by you? If you are not careful, your bill for services rendered may be the next "past due" notice they receive when they run out of money to pay you.
If I were you, I would contact the police and tell them what you saw. You may be allowed to remain anonymous, especially if the people involved crumple when confronted with their crime. if, however, they choose to stand by their story an investigation will take place - there will be a paper trail of the gift charges and delivery - and your story may be needed to bolster the truth.
As difficult as it can be to stand up for what is right, in the end it will help you. If you try to hide the crimes of others, you may develop a reputation of being untrustworthy, whereas if you come clean you reputation will shine, which could lead to new and better babysitting opportunities.
Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
I think that she should do the right thing and report it to the police. A little innocent girl has had her bike stolen. Helping her get her bike back and making her happy is more important than some babysitting job. I hope that the reader does the right thing and call the police.
ReplyDelete