Dear Lady,
Hi. How are you? I ask because you seemed very agitated this afternoon. What do I mean? Well, you shoved me and a few other people as you made your way through the throng of folks standing on the sidewalk.
I know, you had two small children with you. That can be annoying. I know, because I have kids too. So did all of the people who were standing on the sidewalk today, the ones you knocked around like bowling pins.
See, that street has a school on it. (Actually, it has more than one school on it.) And we were there to pick up our kids. So when you shoved me and declared, "I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN WITH ME!" I could relate. To the "having small children with you" part. I can even relate to the "I have small children with me and I really, truly want to just get where I'm going already because it's cold out here, and damn it if these kids aren't tougher to wrangle than they were a couple of months ago." I get it, trust me.
The thing is, please don't yell at me. I'm not going to tell you that I've never done the same thing. No saint, me. So I'm not trying to get all high and mighty with you. Mostly I just want you to not yell at me, and use your kids as an excuse.
Maybe that is kind of high and mighty. Sorry about that. If you think about it, though, maybe you'll see that I'm right. Or not. Like I said, I'd just prefer not to be shoved. There really isn't anyplace else to stand, and it can get a little crowded around dismissal time. A simple "excuse me" and a tap on the shoulder should suffice. Give it a try. I did, and it feels better than "HEY! MOVE IT SCHMUCKO!"
Sincerely,
Brett Singer
Image: SXC (not the woman who pushed me, just a stock photo. I suppose it could be the same woman but that would be a coincidence so huge it boggles the mind.)
Read more:
