"That" Mom

Yesterday morning Eric and I worked the church nursery.  I think it should be worth a mention that I should get extra Jesus/heaven points, because I also had to go work an event for my job immediately after and didn't get home until after 5 p.m.  On a Sunday.  But I digress.  All I am saying is that I hope the "Big Guy" took notice.  Now I am dropping the subject.  Except maybe to mention that I also changed other kids poopy diapers. Jesus points. 

So yesterday one of the children picked up a toy truck and hurled it straight at another child's face.  As we were comforting one child, and firmly but gently telling the other child that we never hit our friends and that we are always gentle, the offender started crying.  Possibly because he was not used to having someone else's parents "scold" him.  Right at this point, the parents of the child who threw the toy came in and saw most of the interaction.  Even though I didn't tell this child anything that I wouldn't have told my own son, it was still kind of awkward to find out I had disciplined him in front of his parents. 

Any how, being a first time parent (and still trying to figure it out most days), I always wonder where the line is in disciplining other people's children.  I don't mean spanking.  I would never spank another person's kid.  But even in terms of having a good "talking" to when the kid has done something they shouldn't.  Case in point.  A few months ago, I caught a kid from another street who was old enough to know better (like 12 years old), peeing on the side of another neighbor's house.  When I confronted the kid about it, he completely sassed me.  At which point, I acted like a "real adult" and went and told his mommy.  Fortunately his mom was mortified and promised to take swift action.  I felt like I overstepped my boundaries a little bit, but I also feel like it takes a village to raise a child.  And if you don't call kids (and sometimes their parents) on the little things, then they turn into much larger things. 

But my question becomes: At what point do you turn your head and let things be, or take a stand and call a child, not your own, on his/her actions?  I have several friends who are teachers and I am convinced that our schools are full of kids who don't care about authority.  And what is worse, is that many of their parents don't care either.  In my neighborhood alone, there are several pre-teen boys, and I am beyond convinced that their parents have no idea what they are up to for hours on end. 

More than anything, what I want to make sure I do is raise Liam with perspective and with a definite sense of right and wrong.  But I also realize that he will inevitably go to school with kids whose parents haven't instilled those values.  Until I figure it out, I hope I will get some good advice from friends.