Yesterday, Monkey started her new swim lesson at the Castle Rock Recreation Center. She has loved the lessons, but I was thinking this might be her last one there, as the group lessons can be short and I think she would thrive with a little more one-on-one learning.
Monkey struggled a little in her lesson yesterday, and was shivering the entire time. Honestly, I was surprised since I normally have to drag her out of the pool – not into it.
As we were getting ready to leave, we stopped to shower since we were meeting family for a charity lunch. One of the showers wasn’t working, so we were waiting in line with a couple of other families. Finally it was to be our turn. A woman came out of a dressing room with her kids and led them right into the shower. Travis and I looked at each other in disbelief. In the last couple of weeks I have had a few people totally disregard the world around them, but it still catches me off guard each time.
We continued to wait, and I overheard a daddy near us tell his son they were waiting for a changing room. I told him there was a room open and I pointed to an open room near us. He explained he thought we were going to use it, since we were standing near it. The contrary action between the woman and the man struck me as odd. Here, he had patiently waited for more than 10 minutes thinking someone might be in line ahead of him, and the other woman couldn’t wait 10 seconds to find out why there were families just hanging around like pervs in a family changing room.
When I was at VBS a very similar situation occurred. There was a line of mommies waiting to pick up their 2-3 year olds. A man (who I happened to have had a not so pleasant business transaction with before) cut all of the mommies off and gave the teacher his son’s name. The teacher looked puzzled, and said she didn’t have him, and asked for his age. He said he was five, and she redirected him down the hall and to the right. He then asked if she could show him. As if a classroom full of two year olds could just be left so he could be escorted down the hall. She could see me in line waiting to pick up Monkey, and since I work for the church, she asked me to show him. I did, and he not only didn’t recognize me, but his completely oblivious behavior to everyone has stuck with me since.
When did people become so clueless? Am I like that in public? Would I know if I was? I try to say ‘excuse me’ in the grocery aisle and I wait for people to cross the road when I am driving. Not because I don’t have a list of things to do, but because I know Monkey is watching me, but more importantly I think about what could happen if I don’t. If I don’t take the time to be polite, what seed will be planted inside of that person? Will it be the last straw of the day for them? Will it cause them to lash out at their spouse or child later? Obviously I probably don’t have that kind of power or influence… but I might.
Turns out, Monkey was sick. For the first time in almost two years she has a fever – which explains the chills in the pool. The good news is, we bought a temporal thermometer (which I am now obsessed with), and have found it totally accurate. The bad news is, we’ve already gotten our moneys worth, and I after dragging Monkey around all over town yesterday, I am thinking I too fall in the ‘totally clueless’ category.
Good luck, we just got done with the fever, chills, vomiting gig. Awful stuff, mom was down yesterday and I probably won’t catch it till it’s time to do a bike riding weekend in Vail next weekend.
And yes people are generally clueless, only people who are not see it, another cluelessness symptom called blinders on affects many. So don’t worry you are not among them although I’ve never met you face to face!
Angela – you have me hooked here……
My husband and I are ALWAYS getting so irritated and frustrated at the lack of consideration…and people wonder why kids are the way they are! can they help it? Look at the examples they are getting!
One thing that I notice DAILY is just people’s complete lack of awareness of what is going on around them. I can’t count how many times I’ve nearly been stepped on or run over because people are walking one direction and looking another. Or people standing in the flow of traffic. We went out to eat last Thursday and there was a woman standing in front of the entrance door — JUST STANDING THERE! and the funniest part about it — there was NO ONE in the lobby, so there was no rhyme or reason for her to be standing right in front of the door.
I’m chosen to take a very different approach, simply because I am so fed up with the inconsideration. I very matter-of-factly (but kindly) remind people….”excuse me, can I get through……pardon me, you stepped on me….” — I make sure they know I’m irritated, but I’m sure not to be a bad example of rudeness. I tell me kids…”you can tell people what you think without having to be disrespectful”……some of us are just too nice to let the clueless see just how clueless they are.
Addie,
Thank you for your comments. I might try your approach in the future, but I still can’t help but feel if they are that clueless it will fall on deaf ears.
However, I don’t want Monkey to grow up worrying about what everyone else thinks, as I find myself doing, so this would be a good opportunity to teach her to stand up for herself while remaining polite and true to the fundamentals we have taught her.
Thanks for the advice!
A
I just had a similar experience in the Starbucks drive through this morning. Not one, but TWO cars cut in front of me. The first one I decided to honk at and she got so frustrated she drove off. The second one realized what he’d done, rolled down his window and apologized. He also paid for half of my total order of 3 drinks! I am sending that man good karma and thoughts for sure!