The Robin's nest

Over the last few weeks, we've been watching a pair of robins and their nest in the birch tree in our front yard. The female dutifully sits on the eggs as the male regularly bring food to her. I don't believe the eggs have hatched yet, but it is pretty obvious that these two instinctively know what it takes to be good parents. Why isn't it that easy with humans. I was just at the Municipal Court House to pay an unfortunate speeding ticket I got last month. As dissatisfying as this was, I, in the end am glad I was there when I was. A young boy, about Eric's age, and I believe his grandmother were there attempting to get in to see the boy's mother who is in jail. Ultimately, they were denied this access and were told to come back on Thursday. The boy was very handsome, clean, and dressed in jeans, T-shirt and a zip up hooded sweatshirt. He was well behaved, polite, and showed me the game he was playing on his grandmother's cell phone while I waited for the clerk to wait on me. I was impressed. After he realized he wasn't going to see his mother, the disappointment on his faced was enough to break my heart. He desperately fought back the tears. I wasn't so lucky. I went out to my truck and began searching for something, anything to help make his day better. I found a nerf football of Eric's that we had gotten for his birthday party. He doesn't have any real interest in it. I walked back and met them as they left the building. I tossed him the football and he smiled. I kneeled down and told him to keep his head up and he'll see his mom soon. "I just wish she'd come home" he told me. I don't know who his mom is, but it's very obvious she hasn't figured out what a special son she has. In all my years of working with kids and offenders, I still haven't figured out why parents choose to continue making these bad choices when they have kids. Hopefully, this boy will beat the odds and grow up to be different from his mom, and will choose to be a good man. I think he has a shot. He gave me a hug and I looked up and his grandmother wiped a tear away. It seems she is a solid force in his life, and quite honestly, it's probably better he be with her instead of his mom. I wish his mother could have seen our exchange. It's one of those moments that could put some clarity in her life. Unfortunately, she didn't, and chances are, she hasn't seen her last stay in jail. Maybe she needs to take a lesson for the robins in my front yard. They have it all figured out.