Monday, December 7, 2009

On Umbrellas...Sort Of.

Soooo it's raining cats and dogs here. Sure it's not Forks, WA but you get the point. Anyway. As a person who works at schools I would like to know WHERE parents get the bright idea to arm their children and send them to school with umbrellas? And WHY do so many of the parents get this bright idea? Children's spacial awareness is already limited, but give them another appendage with sharp points to bump into things (or other people?) When kids go out with umbrellas, they really are armed and dangerous. THEN as soon as kids get to where they're going, the promptly get the water they "protected themselves from" all over themselves anyway trying to get the stinkin things closed. Then they leave it dripping and wet by their desks, and one of the little geniuses decides to open his/hers in the classroom, consequentially setting off a chain reaction as each of his or her friends open their umbrellas too. Then someones umbrella breaks. On the way home, one child accidentally takes another child's umbrella leaving us to deal with the tears of the child whose umbrella is missing, because the only umbrella left has a name on it.

So Puuuhlease people, just buy your children a nice waterproof coat with a hood.

Ps. Today in the post office, this darling little girl walked up to the door with a penguin umbrella. Her mom closed her own umbrella, the little girl did not. The little girl then proceeded to take up valuable space in the crowded post office with her wet umbrella. Then the mother realised the situation and took he girls umbrella saying, "I'm going to close this for you...."
but she ended her statement with the horrible questioning "ok?"
This is a big no no in the interacting with children world...ending with a question mark instead of a "." tells the child this is up for discussion, tears and disagreement will get you the umbrella back. Which the little girl seemed to know. She disagreed and cried and to pacify the girl the mom gave the umbrella back. To be honest I would have preferred standing in a line with a mom I knew stood by her word and was teaching her daughter courtesy even if it meant her daughter cried (Plus, then i wouldn't have gotten so wet.)

Okay, I'm climbing off my soap box. Next time I'll take on rolling back packs.

2 comments:

Neola said...

AMEN!! I'm standing beside you on the soapbox!

Susan said...

So funny and yet so true! You have learned a lot about kids. You'll make a great teacher.