If you are, or you know the people who stole my little girls four pumpkins from our front yard this weekend, I have a message for you. If you are thinking about stealing someone's pumpkins from their yard, you might want to read this too.
See, I know they are just pumpkins. I know you were out, bored and desperate from something to do on the weekend night, and you saw some pumpkins and thought " Hey, let's steal those pumpkins and smash them in other peoples yards...that'll be fun". Well, here is the back story you don't know.
We took out little girl to a pumpkin patch to get those pumpkins. I am out of work, and my husband barely makes enough for our little family to get by, but we set aside money to let our little girl get some pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. When we walked through the pumpkin patch, Mia ( did I tell you my little girl's name is Mia?) ran around, so excited and picked out a whole bunch of pumpkins- five to be exact. She carted the little red wagon behind her, naming each and every pumpkin. The littlest one, that's baby pumpkin. The next smallest one, that's sissy pumpkin. The two medium sized ones, those are mommy pumpkin and auntie pumpkin. The largest one, which you decided was too big to steal and throw carelessly and thoughtlessly onto someone's driveway, that is daddy pumpkin. I have included pictures of my little girl picking out her pumpkins, so that you can see her face and how excited she was pick out her little family of pumpkins.
Anyway, I have promised her all week that we would make jack-o-lanterns on Sunday. She has been asking about them, and every time there is a pumpkin picture somewhere ( on TV, on a magazine at the store), she has reminded me that we are going to make faces on baby, sissy, mommy, auntie, and daddy. So, you can only imagine how broken hearted Mia was when we walked outside this morning, and all but daddy pumpkin were gone. She asked me why they went bye bye. When I told her dad, my husband, she looked up and asked why someone would take her pumpkins. What should I tell my little girl? Should I tell her that some people didn't think she deserved the pumpkins that she so carefully picked out and loved so much? Should I tell her that your longing to smash pumpkins because you were bored on a weekend night was more important than how much she wanted to make faces on baby, sissy, mommy and auntie pumpkin? Do I have to explain to my little girl that we can't afford to get her any more pumpkins because mommy can't find work and we can't pay our rent and buy her food if we buy more pumpkins? You tell me- what should I tell her! Do I have to crush my little girls innocent heart by cluing her in, at the tender age of almost three, that people are heartless, cold, thoughtless, and only concerned with their own amusement?
So, I am writing this to let people in on a little secret. When you steal from someone, you could be breaking a little girl's heart. When you take what is not yours, you are taking from people that might not have a lot, but they are trying to provide for the kids that they love more than anything. You saw my house, it's modest at best. You saw our cars, both used, older model but safe vehicles. Did it ever occur to you " Hey, these people don't look like they have a lot, maybe they worked really hard to give their little girl some pumpkins for Halloween?" I'm guessing not.
I am not a religious person, but I do believe that the universe works in balance. Not because of karma or some universal distribution of crappiness, but because you bring onto yourself how you see the world. In your crusade to entertain yourself, you have turned the table onto yourself, and when something bad happens to you, you need to know that it is because you have taken from another. It is only in your heart that you know the truth, and the truth is that you are a cold, heartless, and thoughtless person who has single-handedly broken my little girls heart. My recommendation is that you make amends with the universe quickly. Give a bottle of water to a homeless person. Help an old lady with her groceries. Smile at a little kid at Walmart. You need to do something to make your soul better, because this is not about some pumpkins- this is about what kind of person you are, and what your effect on the world is.
This letter is to let you know that all your actions have very real and very direct consequences to people who are far more innocent than you are. While you, someone old enough to drive a car and experience more of the world, were able to experience...what, 20 or 30 seconds of Halloween thrill.. my two year old- A TWO YEAR OLD, was treated to the cruel realization that the world can be a cruel and thoughtless place, when all her mommy and daddy wanted to do was make Halloween magical for her.
That is what your actions have done.
If you are a teacher or someone who has kids, please feel free to share this with them. I hope it clues them into why stealing is wrong.
