Children's Aggravation is Not My Pleasure

With a surprise visit to the children at the bus stop on a rainy Thursday I saw one who was none too pleased. Both children had soccer practice. He did not look forward to it in the rain.

He wouldn't talk to me and wanted to wallow in his misery. Let him. Childhood, like adulthood, is a gamut of emotions and feelings. I could not cheer him up in the moment.

Returning me to when I was eight. Sometimes I felt badly for whatever reason. My father would make fun of me. As if he never saw Freaky Friday he thought every moment of my life was great and I did not have a care in the world.

There was no mortgage, no bills or responsibilities. That did not mean everything was great all the time. There was taunting. From him? Sometimes. His bad habit of teasing caused others to feel they could pile on me and they thought I enjoyed it.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Various students said derogatory things. That is not exclusive to me. You don't expect anyone to be mean. It happens far too frequently.

My life has been centered around process improvement. I did not live this long so I could belittle children as I was belittled by adults. I don't think feelings are unwarranted. It is how someone feels in the moment and that can change quickly. It won't change by berating a child for feeling badly.

Soccer practice in the rain is not fun. Practice is not fun in general. You prepare as you must. Wet socks are nothing to anticipate. I did not stay to watch him practice in the rain.

I also did not make fun of him for not wanting to go out in the rain. Couldn't he catch a cold? My love of satire did not come from my family where people made fun of me. In turn, I am not going to make fun of someone trying to get through the day.

The beauty of childhood is "This too shall pass." You never know what to expect with the children. Usually they are nice. I was held accountable for every trespass ever.

Some maintain a permanent record. That is why I balk at "Accountability Partners." Wouldn't that be someone who nags and remind me of every mistake ever? I have had that. It was never effective.

Roll with the punches. Even when my sister's daughter decides to hit me. It is a form of expression until she gets big enough to hurt me. Some other time I'll describe how I was assaulted by a ballerina.

Things can escalate quickly. I have to stand by them, even if they are in a bad mood. It is uncommon and belittling someone because their problems are not important enough to listen to- that resolves nothing. I may never have children. Doesn't mean I cannot treat the ones that are here better than what was endured at a comparable age.