Dear Prudence,
There’s a cantankerous old lady who lives across the street from me. She must be at least in her mid-80s, and she is forever threatening to call the police if she sees my kids (who are 6 and 8) playing in our front yard. One time, she actually did call the police, claiming they were committing “vandalism,” when in reality they were drawing on the sidewalk in front of our house with washable sidewalk chalk. When the officers who responded learned the truth, they were not pleased at having their time wasted. My kids have come to loathe her.
Well, last week, when my 8-year-old was outside and saw her in her front yard, he mooned her when she began her usual tirade. That sent her running back indoors. About 15 minutes later, we heard sirens. I was expecting that she had called the cops again, but it wasn’t the police. It was an ambulance. The EMTs loaded her into it and took off. I later learned that she’d had a stroke. She is still in the hospital, and my son is scared he’s going to be in trouble for what happened to her. How can I reassure him that it wasn’t his fault that she had a stroke?