Adventures in Parenting...The Entire Neighborhood!

This week my 5 year old son is on Spring Break. God bless Spring Break. I despise Spring Break. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with my children, really, I do. I'm just not fan of shrieking, screeching fights breaking out between a 5 and 3 year old before 7 AM over one specific toy, or refusals to use a public restroom unless I "promise not to flush" until they are outside the restroom...even though I'm not the one who had to go, or my older son (the 5 year old):

bringing EVERY bleeding, crying neighborhood child who has fallen off his or her bike/scooter/skate board to our door, even though their mothers are home, because "my Mama's got a red cross card in her wallet", or bringing home every neighborhood child he wants to play with so he can give them whatever kind of goodies we have in the house (I'm an advocate of sharing, but if the kids are hungry, their Moms are home, they should go eat lunch...I am not the neighborhood lunch wagon), or my son coming in every 5 minutes asking for more snacks/drinks for his friends (and can he give so-and- so the spiderman cup?), or my son coming in every 15 minutes or so because someone knocked him down, or called him a name, or wouldn't play with him (probably because after the 2nd snack for 5 children [4 of whom are not my own], I said no, two is plenty).

I'm also not a fan of being deemed the judge for disputes between neighborhood children. It goes something like this:

*Clairessa is sitting peacefully in front of the TV, watching Desperate Housewives, contemplating how much her ribs hurt because of her burgeoning pregnant belly, when, for about the 800th time within the space of 2 hours, the doorbell rings...incessantly, punctuated by knocks on the door. She hefts herself off the couch with great effort, comes to the door and is bombarded with the story of woe from one child, while the alleged offender stands there, shaking their head, and frequently interrupting with exclamations of, "Nuh-uh!" and "You're lying!" Why they come to her, she's not sure, because THESE KIDS HAVE PARENTS, AND THEY'RE HOME!!!!*

Help me out here. These kids live in fear of my reprimands, but mooch food, and come tattling on each other to me for some of the pettiest things I have ever heard. So...is it just that they don't feel like going inside to consult with their own parents, or...???? I am truly mystified.

I love children, and I believe they are all gifts from the Lord, but I also believe that parents need to be responsible for the upbringing of their own children, and I despise the "it takes a village" philosophy. I honestly want as little "village" interference as possible! No, it does not take a village, it takes a parent who pays attention and is not willing to put up with shenanigans, a parent who is willing to discipline in love, not anger (which I'll admit, I often struggle with). Am I just being cranky about other people's kids, or what?

Sorry, can't think of a scripture that really applies to this particular entry. If you can think of one, post the scripture and reference in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!