Come On, People

I was recently speaking to a secretary at a local elementary school. She told me the story of a mother who came to school to get her child out early. The secretary glanced at the clock as she began to fill out the call slip for the student. The clock read 3:40pm. School gets out at 3:45pm. Come on, people!

But we're not done. The secretary politely asked the mother why she was picking up her child "early" from school. She asked this, you know, like it was casual, friendly conversation and not school business. (To do this, by the way, takes skill--a skill I don't possess--as you must act as if you like the person or care anything about what they say.) The mother answered that she was taking her child to go see Never Say Never. So you're going to interrupt the office people at a busy time of the day, to remove your child five minutes early so you can go see a Justin Bieber movie? Come on, people!

Still not done. Mention Justin Bieber in many circles and you are bound to get a reaction. In this instance, it took nearly all the secretary's composure to stifle the roll of the eyes and the loud "Ugh!" that welled up inside her upon hearing this. Perhaps she didn't stifle well enough, as the mother felt the need to defend her decision. "Well, you know, he loves Jesus. And you don't see many other kids these days your kids can look up to that love Jesus. So, um, yeah." Laudable, I suppose, if true, but the cynical, skeptical part of me (which is pretty much the whole) throws up in his mouth when he hears that. Come on, people!

One last, unrelated-to-Justin Bieber-gripe: Today I stopped in the men's bathroom at a local junior high. My business in there was of the more simple variety, if you know what I mean. I remained on foot the whole time. However, someone (and how I would have preferred to leave it that way) was in the stall sitting down. Now it only takes me thirty seconds or so to do my number 1 business, wash my hands and leave. But the feller in the stall finished his work, hiked the pants up gain, and exited the stall while I was still drying my hands. Then came the inevitable mutually grunted greeting. Now, I ask--Why? I would never do that. And tell me I am NOT in the minority of people who will gladly wait another minute seated on the throne as long as I can avoid making eye contact with the person who has come in at such an unfortunate and inconvenient moment! I am in the minority? Come on, people!