The Other Side of the Fence

There was an open place in our yard, one with an unobstructed path to a dangerous spot, so I built a fence to prevent my kids from going there. However, it wasn't long before one child discovered that there was a way around the fence, and they went around to play on the other side. What is a good father to do? I built another fence.

My children must be kept safe.

This one extended further and was set back a little more from the danger, just in case one of my kids might go around again. Can you believe it? The temptation of the other side of the fence was so strong, that one of my kids tested the fence until they discovered they could go through a small opening in one side. I had no choice, I built another fence, stronger than the last.

My children must be kept safe.

The fence wasn't all I was going to do this time; my children needed to be cautioned about going beyond the fence. It was there for their own protection. So I explained that when I was younger, I went to the other side of the fence and got hurt, and I didn't want them to be hurt as well. They needed a healthy fear of what is on the other side of the fence. The only problem was my trouble-making neighbor.


He let his kids play on the other side of their fence, within sight of my own children. When my kids began to notice and questioned why I built the fence, I explained that the other father was unwise to allow his children to play so near to the danger. They would get hurt sooner or later, but the thing I feared the most actually happened. One of my children crept around the fence to play with the neighbors, and my child was hurt. To what was a father to do? I built another fence.

To remind them of the danger, I also put up a sign with a picture of their brother, hurt on the other side of the fence. I explained again how playing on the other side of the fence was dangerous. At least now they had an example of the danger. Of course, it wasn't long before one of the neighbor's kids were hurt as well, and I was sure to point it out to my children. "That is why we have all these fences," I said, "They are for your own good. Only unwise parents allow their children to play on the other side of the fence, and only unwise children go around, through, or over the fences that their parents have built."

My children must be kept safe.

Sadly, that wasn't the end of the matter. I discovered one afternoon, that one of my children was talking through the fence to one of the neighbors. Their friendship was tempting my kids to try to find a way over, around, or through the fence. What else could I do? I was forced to build a wall to keep the neighbor's kids away from my yard.

My children had to be kept safe.

At least they could play with the neighbors on the other side of us; they had (mostly) the same fences that we have. Their children seemed safe, but we began to have problems when my neighbor said that he didn't agree with the wall that we had erected. He didn't think that walls were important, and as we expected, his kids were enticed over the fence into danger. Some even got hurt, but even worse than that, they began undermining my fences. After I noticed my kids playing on the other side of the fence, I knew there was no other choice. I built another fence and another barrier between us and them.

My children must be kept safe.

I was in the back yard a few days later, and I discovered that the family behind us had the same experiences. They were so very like-minded that we got together and built another wall. This one extended around both of our houses, so we made certain that our families were both safe together. It was so wonderful to see the kids playing with their friends in the back yard, and the front yard was so close to the danger, they were better off back there anyway. An added benefit was that our united approach to walls and fences gave our families the opportunity to meet together to reinforce the dangers inherent on the other side of the fence.

We were careful to point out how much better it was in our yard and how unwise it was for the other neighbors to have so few fences. Though we weren't always aware of it, we understood that the kids occasionally went to the front yard to play when we weren't looking. However, we expected that they would test the fences (kids always do), which is why we built those fences so far from the danger.

That seemed to keep them safe, even if they did occasionally go over, around, or through the fence. You might not understand all the fences and walls in our yard,

but at least our children are kept safe...

Continued in "Second Generation Fence Building"