I saw something on Monday at the
library. A woman was in there with what looked like her son. He
looked to be in his 20s while she was in her 40s or 50s. He was
looking for books. She had one of her earbuds in. She had a German
Shepherd with her and if you looked at her face you could tell she
was blind.
The dog wasn't bothering anyone. It was
tucked up beside her, watching things. She had hold of its leash. A
woman and her children came into the library. Five is the minimum age
for kindergarten here so the two children running around after her
had to be younger than that.
The woman took one look at the dog and
started yelling about how dangerous it was and how her “babies were
in danger”. The blind woman's son came up and told her to shut up,
and that the dog was his mother's service animal and had every right
to be there.
As soon as he said that, she shut up.
And then sent her kids over to meet the dog. Even though the blind
woman told the children not to touch him because he was working, they
pulled on his ears, shoved their fingers into his face, and pushed up
against him. I give him a lot of credit. He didn't snap or bark. But
he was clearly uncomfortable, as was the blind woman.
The young man came back and told the
children not to touch the dog, that he was a service animal and
working. They ran crying back to their mother, who started on a tear
again. The library staff forced her out of the library with her
getting louder and louder as she went. This did very little to help
my anxiety but I was waiting to check out my books and I didn't want
to leave them behind.
You know, gods forbid that someone show
a little common courtesy. I mean, how difficult her life must be
because her children were forbidden from playing with a strange dog
who was obviously uncomfortable with the children's ministrations.
Getting upset at the young man who was only protecting his mother and
her service dog was perfectly rational.
Seriously, where is common courtesy
these days?
People only care about the courtesy afforded to them, not what they give to others. So much of the world is me-first. Sometimes people have to be reminded the world doesn't revolve around them. Forcibly, if necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with that attitude among adults is it's taught to children who just perpetuate the problem. I seriously wish that people would pay attention and focus on things outside themselves.
DeleteI can't answer your question, but I do know that mother's parenting skills are going to come back to haunt her when those kids 1) become teenagers and 2) have kids of their own and raise them the only way they know how. Kudos to the young man, the woman, and the dog. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I know some parents who wonder why their children are so horrible as teenagers. Part of it is teenage rebellion, but the majority of it is how they were raised.
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