This week: Parenting skills. Get some.
Most of the time, I try to put my best foot forward when I’m getting to know someone new. I bet some of those people walk away thinking, “Oh, that Elizabeth. She’s such a fucking lady.“
I’m more relaxed with kids because, let’s face it, kids are dumb. I can just be any ol’ way around them and let my *real* self come out because they don’t know the difference.
On Saturday, I spent most of the day with Cal and seven of her friends. I think it’s pretty great when a kid hangs out with her parents at an amusement park because it probably means she’s too busy to do other activities like huff gasoline or enter beauty pageants.
Eight hours in, things were looking pretty good. Everyone still had all of their limbs. They were all speaking to each other. Harv only gave ONE lecture about manners. I put on a shameface while he was talking to me, and I promised not to step out of line again. The kids pretended not to notice when I was getting a scolding, but I could sense relief that they weren’t the ones getting reprimanded. I’d like to think that I was taking one for the team.
If the team consists of one adult who can’t act straight.
Why the lecture?
I sat in front of a rowdy group of boys during a show. Kick Kick Kick. A few seconds of peace. Then Kick Kick Kick. After a few minutes, I turned around and said something like “JESUS, WHO DO YOU KIDS BELONG TO?”
I’m not proud. I mean, what if these boys had never heard Jesus’ name before? What if they didn’t *have* any parents? Maybe they were there out of the goodness of some charity that sent orphans who didn’t know Jesus to amusement parks.
Well, at least they weren’t out huffing gasoline or strutting their stuff in beauty pageants. I choose to focus on the positive.
Ever said anything out of frustration to young peeps?
image via Married to the Sea. com
