Aaarghhh!

[FloridaJudy]

Okay, I'm probably one of the least easily irritated human beings around, but I just had a family really try my patience. I'd just finished off an onerous but necessary chore, and decided to treat myself to visit to the fabric shop on the way home with the groceries. I was in JoAnne's, fingering the velvets, when a woman walked in with two small children. The son - who looked about 8 - insisted on singing off-tune Christmas carols at the top of his lungs. His slightly younger sister kept repeating "I want to be Princess Barbie for Halloween. I want to be Princess...", like a broken robot. Mom, oblivious, continued holding a loud conversation on her cell phone. After about five minutes of this, I wanted to yell "Don't any of you people ever shut up?!"

On second thought, I was just glad I hadn't encountered them in their home. Something tells me that the TV there is always kept at top volume. And I'll bet they own a jet ski and a leaf blower (Florida's too warm for snowmobiles, or they'd own one of those as well).

I'm pretty tolerant of crying babies and rambunctious toddlers, but these kids were old enough to be taught not to be obnoxious in public. Or else they should have been left at home - mom didn't seem to be there on a life or death errand.

Am I turning into a Crabby Old Person? Will my next act be waving a broom at kids and yelling "Get off my lawn!"?

[DarkTirade]

1. Sounds to me like you're a person with ordinary tolerance.

My parents sure as hell didn't let me act like that in public. Hell, they wouldn't tolerate that at home either.

Then again, I have a sense of pitch. :)