I've had a few days away from the computer, good for a little cyber detox haha! In the last few days I have had the chance to be out in public and notice that as a general population, Americans are lacking common sense.
Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect, I've never said I was (unless it was a joke). But seriously people?!
The weather in Wyoming can be deceiving, we all know that. It might look nice out because the sun is shining but in all actuality it's -5 out. Now, as a mother it's general knowledge that babies need one more layer than adults do to stay warm. At least it's general knowledge when you have common sense. This means if it's -5 and (as an adult) you are wearing a long sleeve and a coat, your infant needs a long sleeve, a sweater and a coat. . .It annoys me soooo much to see people walking into Walmart bundled up like an Eskimo and carrying they're baby that only has on a pair of jammies! Where is the common sense?!
And what's up with all these bad drivers?! I know that you have to go through drivers ed now for kids to get their license, but what about the older people? Two days in a row I've almost been hit (in the same intersection none the less) because people apparently don't know what a "right of way" is. . .Hey P.S. if I'm going straight, and you're turning left, aka across on coming traffic, who has the right of way? ME! And then they honk and flip me off, like I'm the bad driver. News Flash Buddy, learn to drive! And just because there is 1/4 inch of snow on the ground does not mean you get to drive like a moron. We live in WYOMING for Pete's sake, it's not the first time you've seen snow! And I know this because you have Wyoming plates on your car, if you had Arizona plates I might forgive you. Speaking of Arizona, our street supervisor for the city is from Arizona. Quick question, if you've never seen snow before, how do you know the correct way to keep the streets of Gillette clean and free of snow? And BTW, 2 feet of snow 8 feet out in front of my side walk is NOT the "windrow." Do you even know what a "windrow" is? I do, I Googled it. And what was in front of my house, was not a windrow. Where is the common sense?!
We went to dinner at Humphrey's (a local bar and grill) on Friday night. We ended up being seated next to a large group of Union Welders, and by large I mean like 12+ guys. We had Elliot with us, who is in that stage where he's learning new words (not that you can really understand him, but he tries). These guys don't even miss a beat as we are seated. "Yeah so-and-so is such a F***in D**che bag!" and so on and so forth. Now once again, as a mother (and a normal person) I tend to watch my language when there are tiny humans around. This guy on the other hand, does not. And it's not like they were speaking quietly, they were LOUD! Where is the common sense?! And even more, where is the class?
I was about this close (picture me with my pointer finger and thumb about half an inch apart) to turning to them and saying "Excuse me, this is a family restaurant, could you please watch your language?!" when an older gentlemen from the table came over to us. He was very polite and told us he would like to buy our dinner. He said "I was hoping that the guys would notice the little guy and watch their language a little, they are saying words not appropriate for little ears. So I'm very sorry, but to make it up to you guys I would like to buy your meal. Just kind of enjoy some of the stuff they're saying because they really are funny guys." I was shocked! I told him that was not necessary but he insisted. Apparently there are a few people in this world that still have values. This man was one of them!
That however got me thinking (I know, Uh Oh! She's "thinking" again), is today's generation of teens and young adults doomed? I know my mother instilled values in me. You don't say bad words, you say please and thank you, pray before dinner, wash your hands. Put on a coat when it's cold outside, make your bed and brush your teeth. Family first, this one is especially important to me. These are things I plan on teaching my children! I feel like parents are losing the battle with belligerent snotty rude children! We have kids who think that just because they don't live at home anymore they don't have to come to family gatherings. And that because they're boyfriend/girlfriend pays for things for them that they don't need their family anymore. Hey, guess what?! You're family was there when your boyfriend wasn't. And when he's gone, your family will still be there. But not if you keep pushing them away and acting like they don't matter to you.
What is there for us to do? Is it really a losing battle? Not with my children it wont be. I'm bound and determined to teach my children what it really is to be a good person. A happy, well mannered, upstanding, classy person.
