I’m not usually one to say why me because if I did I would be asking it daily.

Shit happens.

But I do wonder some days why I bother.

Late last night someone’s spawn decided to trash my quite expensive mail box actually the damage was done progressively from Friday through til late Sunday night with these spawn taking a swipe every time they passed.

Kids a group of 5-6 quite literal kids no older than mine who were lashing out because they couldn’t get their Ice Fix and I am not referring to the frozen water variety. Unfortunately drug houses are not rare in this region. Directly across the freeway a methlab exploded quite spectacularly only months ago. Wasn’t cover by the local media but we all knew what it was. Less than 2 blocks from here directly across from us on the freeway. On our same block is yet another dealer lab I don’t know I don’t care they haven’t usually been the problem but their customers are a huge problem. Our fences and mail boxes spray painted, downspouts usually attached to our houses torn off, fly wires torn from windows and left in pieces the length of the street. And now my brand new mail box smashed. The whole unit will need to be replaced. BUT why bother. Insurance doesn’t cover this crap. Victims of crime doesnt cover it. Instead I am left perpetually repairing my house and front garden as are everyone else in the neighbourhood. Only for it to be destroyed again within weeks or months. I dont think there has even been a year without damage of some type since we moved here.

It is otherwise an absolutely gorgeous region with views of Mount baw baw and beach, surf, mountains city or snow to be found within an hour or two in any direction.

We have access to schools, high schools, universities, hospitals, and rail to go anywhere in the state we want to for the day.

Why do we bother? Because they aren’t everyone, they aren’t even the majority, of the occupants of this region, while they make themselves known in all the worst ways they arent even enough numbers to destroy this place. Although they try.

Which is why we keep trying. That will not be my daughters. It is not a problem isolated to this region even if we moved we wouldn’t escape it.

By teaching my daughters how to manage their health, what is important and how to express themselves and that THEY are important and they THEY are enough. We can still make a life here worth living.

Statistically my daughters should have been with the group trashing the street. But they weren’t and that is only due to the years of work we have done.

Don’t wait til it is too late the work needs to be done throughout their childhood before they reach their teens. It is to late if they are in high school and you are lost wondering what happened and why you cannot speak to them.

It will also mean if there are additional challenges they can be picked up and addressed before someone’s life is at risk.