International Adoption Book

Friday, July 11, 2008

How Rude!

We get looks all the time from strangers. Usually it is because we are such a unique family. For the most part, we simply ignore those stares from strangers, though every once in a while they look for such a long time it is hard to ignore, at which point I will make a point of talking to them.
Yesterday was a different situation entirely... M, C and I went to the aquarium again (we have a season pass for that and the zoo). We arrived in the Dome at the center of the property and it was crowded. Unfortunately, the adults were worse than the kids. M and C wanted to sit down, but with such minimal space I chose to stand up in the center behind them. As C was making her way down the steps (a difficult and slow process for her since she has no balance) a middle-aged woman barged her way past C to lay claim to the seats M and C were headed towards. Then, this lady turned to her hubby (who was carrying his 2 year old son/grandson) and egged him on to get down there before the seats were taken. I was so mad about this situation, but I want to teach my kids that this is truly not a big deal. But, when the man tried to get past my daughter but couldn't, he started mumbling under his breath about her not moving. First, I was angry that they were shoving my children around, second I was upset that they took the seats my kids were trying to use but this last thing was the final straw. I reached in front of the man and (very nicely) said, "She's trying to go down to see the fish, too. But, she can't move out of your way when you ask her to because she can't hear you. She's deaf!" Then I pull C back up the steps and told both kids we would move to a different spot. The man was so utterly embarrassed about his behavior that he stepped back and blubbered incoherantly about his what he had done.

GOOD... He deserved it! People shouldn't be so rude and in such a hurry to beat a 5-year-old to see some fish. Kids are rude now-a-days, but their parents are the ones who have taught them to be this way!
On a side note... I've embedded several photos (photos removed). C loves the touching pools. M really enjoys playing make-believe (especially with the octopus tentacles). And, in the phot with both kids posing as a diver and an eel, M put his head through the hole and was a tad bit stuck (though not so badly he wasn't able to get out, but you could see the uncertainty in his face).

1 comment:

Brownie Troop 157 said...

Kudos on your self-restraint!