Please e-mail gretaperry@gmail.com with tips regarding the crime done to my neighbor’s property over Thanksgiving. If you wish to remain anonymous, you’ve got my word. Someone is talking about it or bragging about it on MySpace. The vandals need to be held accountable for their actions and their parents need to know what they did. This was no teenage prank, this was pure evil and was hateful. Now to the post – read on as this is a long one for me and not humorous like it usually is. (lots of funny archives)

I could just scream at some of the stuff going on with teens now. My oldest is 11 and I hope he stays that age forever! No, I won’t tell my kids that I walked to school uphill both ways in the snow. But, let’s face it, when yours truly was a teen in the 80s, it was a totally different world. It was big deal to have my own phone line, I had a locked diary, I bought half my “boat” car at 16 and my parents matched my funds. Ya, I was a little rebel and had hair of various colors at different times and had my ear pierced 8 times on 1 side. But, I always had good grades and the ambition to go on to college and make something of myself.

Well, I know I don’t have to tell you that thing are different than they were when we were teens – but it is scarier today than ever before. Internet predators lurk on MySpace. Kids text message each other impulsively with lightning speed. Many of our kids are medicated and their mind’s are altered. Pictures and videos are slapped on YouTube without kids giving it a second thought. And we all know what the lack of parental involvement and being your child’s “friend” has done to this generation. Don’t get me started on parents who don’t look at their kid’s computer, MySpace, IM’s or text messaging because it is invading their privacy PUH-LEEEZE! I tell all my friends with teens that I am glad I get to watch them go through the teens first.

Now to the Mandeville part of the post. Mandeville, LA is no different than Anytown Suburb, USA. So really this story has to do with teens. My wonderful neighbor who drove with her whole fam damily to New York to be tourists and volunteer in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, got a call on her vacation that her property was vandalized. Thankfully, the neighbors and her ex-husband cleaned it up before her family returned. This family has 2 teens and one younger child. While they were away, the house was “targeted” and “vandalized” in a way that is totally repulsive. The family’s personal property was destroyed and now is on the search for the “teens or tweens” who destroyed a once perfect yard. Toilet papering a house is bad enough and is a mess to clean up. But ultimately, it is a harmless prank. No, not this time, this was calculated group of teen/tween evil. Supplies were purchased, they knew the family was out of town, they had a car and they obviously had to do their work after the city curfew.

They salted the entire lawn front and back as well as the shrubs. It is already turning brown in spots. They put shaving cream EVERYWHERE, they put saran wrap around trees and poured oil on it (not sure why), they strangled her scarecrows with condoms, they stuck Kotex pads with ketchup on them all over her garage. Sick stuff I tell you! I am using my blog to try to help this family and find out who did this crime. After all, your house could be next and neighbors should help neighbors!

Tomorrow I promise to return to my usual humor! (This post can be read on NOLA.com or on my personal blog)