Happy to report, all was well over the weekend in the mountains. If there was any “horrible and ossur” things going on, it was discrete. My guess is, the problem lies in defining “ossur”. My wife may not go to Walmart in sandals, but if yours does, its not ossur, its just that we have different ideas of what’s ok and what’s not.
But I do have a juicy story to relate: This past week, 3 boys were spotted smoozing in walmart;
Boy A = tzitzis out, payos behind the ear, white shirt. Cookie cutter yeshiva buy
Boy B = 3 button polo, bulging biceps, smaller yarmulka than that of boy A
Boy C = shorts, sandals, and a “yechi” yarmulka (no, he is not Chabad; he also wears Na-Na yarmukas, whatever strikes his fancy)
So? Do we have a “teen crisis”? Is Boy A “at risk”? Is Boy A “hanging out with the wrong crowd”?It would sure seem that way!
Until you know the facts. Because Boy A is my son, his mother was 2 asiles away, Boy B was a former neihgbor, who just happens to be a touch more modern, and Boy C is a classmate’s sibling, who just happens to be a character. Not a crack head, not a drug dealer, not a mechalel shabbos. And while Boy B many not plug away at the gemorrah as many hours as Boy A does, he is still a very good boy and a huge baal tovah and baal middos.
Moral of the story? If you knew the facts, you’d see things a little differently!