Fireworks, Manipulation, and Neglect

Thursday afternoon, my boys and SIL Stephen were setting off firecrackers and bottle rockets out back of the house. (Perfectly legal here, and we live out in the country).
Three of the neighbor boys (7,4, and 2) came over to watch. When our guys came inside for awhile, the 7 year old neighbor asked if they could stay in our yard and wait for the guys to come back out. Ben (19) told them that they were going to have lunch and probably be inside for a long time. When the boys did go back out... they discovered that the key was missing from the riding lawn mower- which the neighbor kids had been sitting on. Ben and the boys looked all around for the keys... and couldn't find them. So when the three little hoodlums neighbor boys came back over, Ben asked them about the key. The oldest one told Ben, "We didn't take your lawn mower key to our house!" (Ben had just asked if they might have seen the key.)

What do you do? These kids are left to their own devices almost all the time. (These are the kids I worry about at the pond- the 2 and 4 year old were the ones wading when I went and spoke to their Mother back in April). Ben just said, "OK, well if you should find a lawnmower key in the grass or something, would you bring it to us? We can't fire off the big fireworks until we can move the lawnmower." He repeated this to the little kids Friday afternoon- we cannot fire off big fireworks until we can move the lawnmower.

The little kids ran home and came directly back... with the lawnmower key! Ben is a scarily good manipulator!

After our supper last night, we all went outside. I got to tote Tyrel around in the ERGO carrier. He isn't the least bit bothered by the loud repercussions of the fireworks, and would watch and laugh at the ones that had something to see. The guys and Becky had no sooner started popping firecrackers than the three musketeers came trudging over. These are TINY kids. I would never have put the 7 year old past being 5, if I had to guess. They had another little girl with them- they just said she was NOT their sister... she was about 3. These kids were at the house about an hour before their 'big sister' (age 11) called them home. It must have been to eat dinner, because twenty minutes later, here come these little wraiths through the dusk. We had just sliced a watermelon... so they had watermelon with us. It was after 9:30pm when the 11 year old came on over. It was completely dark, so the guys set off the 'big' fireworks. We didn't have many- but these kids stayed until the last firecracker was set off. The four year old said "I Wish WE could set off some fireworks". I apologised and told him, "No- we don't have your parents permission for you to set off fireworks. I can't let you do something that you might get hurt doing."

It was after 10 PM when Mr C said, "That is everything, there aren't any more fireworks left". The little kids looked so sad. I told them it was time for them to go on home. The little girl was clinging to the 11 year old. I picked up the two year old, he was so exhausted I thought he would fall asleep before we walked them home. We used Stephen's flashlight, and Becky held the 4 year old's hand. (She had Ty in the ERGO by then.) Their house was totally dark when we arrived. I asked the 11 year old if there were adults there, or if she was babysitting. She said that the adults had gone to bed. Not once all evening had these people checked on these kids.
NOT ONCE.
They had left them at a neighbor's house until after 10 at night... without once checking on them. Without even a "do you mind?". We DON'T KNOW these people. They don't know us. After we got home, Becky and I worried. These kids were sticky with watermelon, smelled like cordite and were crusty with dirt. Would the little 11 year old girl think to clean them up before sending them to bed?
WHY should she have to? She is a kid herself!

Tom is looking outside now. The 7 year old shoved the little bitty girl into the pond. All four of the smallest kids are out in the water. No adults in sight. Not even the 11 year old. She probably has the one year old (that didn't come last night) to babysit. The adults don't even CHECK on these kids. You cannot see the pond water from their house. I looked when I was speaking to the Parental Unit over there in April. The bitty girl made it out... but Tom is still watching. He is freaking out as bad as I do when I see them down there.

We had an enjoyable 4th. And as aggravating as those kids are- we cannot feel anything but compassion and pity for them. Please be praying for them!
UPDATE: The Mom finally came outside. She yelled at the kids, and the 7 and 4 year olds both got swatted on the backside.
Becky, Stephen, Daniel and Sam set off for Texas this morning. They left Tyrel here. Ok, that's a lie. He went with his Mommy nad Daddy. But he finally did allow Grumpa to hold him and tote him about.The last day he was here! Oh- and he also decided last night to try this "walking" thing that Cowgranny and Mommy have been trying to encourage him to do. He took several single steps, and once took two steps. I could see the little light bulb click on in his head