Damn bad parents…
Saturday morning at the Laundromat is always guaranteed to be interesting. There were very few machines open so after walking around the 2-3 loaders for a few minutes I broke down and threw all my stuff in one giant industrial 4-load washing machine. I usually hate to do that but really none of my clothes are very vibrant anyway so if I have to do one giant load every few loads I think the queen will survive…
Rewind a few – I bought new laundry soap and softener on the way so that’s usually an exciting day for me. I always double up on the fabric softener the first day because I LOVE the smell that comes off of it when I take it out of the washer. Since I quit smoking I’ve discovered the joys of good detergent, I love being able to smell my clothes now. Anyway when I got to the grocery store some old man was trying to tip over a cart in the parking lot. I stopped in my path and watched him, giving him a horribly judgmental dirty look. He spun the thing around on one wheel until it fell over sideways with a crash. Then got in his truck, well I assumed it was his truck at least. The weirdest part was after I got out of the store he was still sitting in his truck. Pretty sure he was alive, don’t quote me on it though.
Every time I do laundry I get the wash started then I plant myself in the same chair by the same wall socket and plug my trusty laptop in and get my internetting done. Today when I grabbed my laptop bag from the car a man was standing in front of my chair when I walked inside. MY CHAIR. Just standing there too, facing the wall doing nothing. Two steps before I was about to hip check him to the ground and get comfortable he walked away so the violence was averted. *Whew*
I started my normal process of checking my social networks and the DUNDERBRAIN dashboard to see what I’ve missed some little brat in the back started wailing. You know, even the few kids I actually like grind on my nerves when they cry like that. I don’t know ANYBODY that enjoys that, so why would you assume it isn’t bothering the other people around you and take care of the situation? I guess not having kids myself impairs me from understanding why you can’t just MAKE your kids shut up. I should be more sensitive to the matter I guess, but I don’t have children because I don’t like them. That’s my choice, I made it myself. I just don’t see why I should have to suffer for other people’s choices.
So now I recognize that feeling that way is incredibly insensitive, because as I judged this woman I didn’t know for being a crappy parent for letting her child wail like that in a Laundromat a woman walked in with 5 children that she literally had NO control over what so ever. They immediately ran to the two video games in the front of the facility and started mock-playing with them very roughly – like hanging from the joysticks and other general destructiveness. Who doesn’t teach their children that it’s wrong to destroy other people’s property? Obviously this woman. As soon as my wash cycle was done, I put away my laptop, switched my laundry, and left for the donut shop. There was no way I’d be able to sit in that room with those children and not end up going to jail for whuppin some other person’s kid.
So I get my sausage roll and one cinnamon twist then sit down. A few minutes later the woman’s oldest boy comes in and asks what time they close. SHIT. Now they’re fallowing me. I quickly finished my donut and left, watching mother goose and her 5 ugly ducks walk in a single file line into the donut shop. They took every single seat in the place.
So I blew them off, tried not to think that someday one of her children was going to screw up my order at taco bell and folded my laundry. On the way out the three youngest of the brood were outside PLAYING ON THE CARS. Like sliding down the hood and crawling over the roof like it was a damn jungle gym. I HOPE this was their car but I wouldn’t guarantee it. Every now and then she would yell “sit down” then go back to what she was doing, yeah like they ACTUALLY did that. After I loaded my unfolded laundry into the car I left the group with one last ugly judgmental look.
That will show them.