Sue Ellen Ross – The Southern Yankee

It’s summer vacation for most River Parishes students. Although schools are open for LEAP summer school and some community events, for the most part, they don’t see the continuous flurry of activities that take place during the school year.

So where are all these kids going? Some of them are staying right at home.

I have written a few stories in reference to summer jobs for pay, both inside and outside the home. Many River Parish families are on the right track, keeping their children occupied during school hiatus. Some are enlisting the help of friends and relatives with childcare. And some are not.

I have seen many youngsters more or less ‘on their own’ during the summer. This is not a new thing, it has been going on for decades. Many parents believe that children in the pre-teen and teenage bracket know what to do in an emergency and can fend for themselves.

Not always.

The neighbors living next door had three boys, both parents worked, and the kids never had a babysitter. Real bullies, they were. It seemed like they all took care of each other and stayed to themselves, not really causing any trouble.

No one called the child welfare office in those days, many kids were on their own and seemed to cope okay. The Thorton boys were no exception until the day their cat ran a muck.

The boys were about 10- 11- and 12-years-old that year, like stairsteps, and pretty big for their age. But being the males they were, they had no idea how to handle a pregnant cat. Missy would roam the neighborhood, looking like she was ready to drop her bundle anytime. Most cat-lovers know you don’t let expectant cats out on public streets.

I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Thorton taught their children how to call the police and fire department for emergencies, but I am assuming they never covered the topic of chasing an almost-mom as she scaled the downspout and got stuck in the gutter near the roof of the house. The boys panicked.

Something had spooked Missy, probably one of the many large squirrels living in the neighborhood. I happened to be in the yard helping my mom when I saw the cat jump, lightening fast, up to the leave-filled gutter.

Those three young men were hilarious, as neighbors watched them try to coax the cat down, to no avail. She started to wail, childbirth was imminent, so they had to work fast. They brought things from the house to tempt her – a water dish, cat treats, her toys and even a portable radio. (I never did understand what the radio was supposed to do.)

The boys yelled, pleaded, sang songs and talked baby-talk for over an hour. Missy wouldn’t budge. I wanted to go help, but my parents told me to mind my own business.

Seven kittens were born that night in the gutter, and stayed there for quite a while. We heard through the grapevine that the boys’ parents wouldn’t allow them to try to bring the new family down. They had to come down on their own accord, they were told. In due time, they did just that.

There is no moral to this story, it was meant for entertainment purposes only. Just like that day those boys looked like the Three Stooges as they put on a show for the neighborhood.

Sue Ellen Ross is a staff writer for the L’Observateur and can reached at lobnews@bellsouth.net