I once vacationed with my three girls in a town without children. It was a picture perfect Vermont town, that could have come from Norman Rockwell, but there were no children on the street. I first noticed something amiss as we first drove through, the many art galleries had signs saying "no children" and "dogs welcome". Strange I wondered, where are the children?When we attended Mass, in the ancient stone church, where my daughter's footsteps echoed on the stone floor, we were promptly escorted to the church basement though the church was nearly empty, to watch the Mass on closed-circuit TV. There we saw families with children; they were tourists who had come to visit a local farm museum. They saw us and felt relieved; we recognized one another as homeschoolers, who have conspicuously large families and felt instantly accepted. We spent a lovely day at the farm, forgetting about the empty town.
Until the next morning, when we went to the convenience store, for breakfast, we discovered there were no baby items in the store, yet it had an entire aisle of dog food.I never did take that leisurely walk downtown that I had planned, I was afraid my girls would experience rejection. I had seen the future of an America which aborts it's children, and cherishes it's dogs, and I was terrified.
16 comments:
How awful!
The English too love their dogs....
Jackie, yes, I remember when I live there, I was amazed that they accompanied their owners to pubs, and on the tube.
I have two lovable labs myself, but I don't confuse them for children like my neighbor, an only child who calls his retriever, "my little sister".
This sounds like a scene straight from a Stephen King novel. I had goosebumps just from reading your post.
I had an eary feeling reading this. I can't imagine a place with no children. Very Steven king!
I don't know why I didn't say this before: it's Woodstock, VT.
So when the current generations die out, who gets the town? I call squatters' rights!! (Sorry--morbid, I know.)
I thought this was a seen off of "chinny-chinny-bang-bang", and thought you were joking at first. Your not kidding are you?
I wish I were! Just thinking of that place gives me the creeps, and it's been three years since we were there. I was going to mention "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" because there the children were forced underground and a creepy looking 'child catcher' scooped them up in a net.What do you think happens in China, right now?
I heard a talk by Patrick Madrid a few years ago where he describes the tip of the iceberg, and then goes on to describe what's under the water. Your post gave me the same scared-to-the-bone-what-in-the-world-can-I-possibly-do?! feeling that his talk did. I went home and promptly read The Marketing of Evil (reviewed here). Hmm. Much to think about with this post and so much else in our world! But I can't help but think...maybe it was good for those people to see your children, to be exposed to the pitter-patter and the joy that is children (though maybe they could not see it for all the dogs in their midst...).
This, too, shall pass away. Literally.
When I saw the blurb about this on the Carnival of Homeschooling, I thought to myself, A town where children aren't welcome and dogs are glorified? Sounds like Vermont (which is where I live).
How funny (or sad) that I was right!
Some of those people must have children. Perhaps grown children? What do they do when grandchildren come to visit? I can't stand places that don't allow kids. Our world is about embracing everyone regardless of age!
Chilling, absolutely chilling.
And I believe, had it been me, at the moment when I was escorted to the basement at mass, I would have left and never looked back. (don't these people know the little "suffer the children unto Me?" part of the Bible?)
What a chilling idea that children are not welcome? And they have a CATHOLIC church in the same town? Shocking! It doesn't add up.
I am fascinated by a place without children. A place that had children soon will have teenagers and with that follows drugs, violence and disrespect for private property and a complete lack of concern for common courtesy. Too many times I have lived in many places around this country and seen teenagers abuse elders, enlist in gangs and assault and kill people, pre-teens who run into you in stores and don't apologize and the parents often times expect you to tolerate it because after all they are just children right?
A place without children is a place where respectful adults can live out their lives without having to worry about other people's bad parenting, having to be concerned for their safety when they go to a convenience store after 9pm and it is littered with teenagers and young adults (<21) who are looking to get into trouble.
I think there should be more places like this around the country. Keep the kids in suburban hell with their over-achieving "keeping-up-with-the-Joneses" parents where they belong.
absolutely awesome!!
I wish there was more towns without children.
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