Apparently, these days, the federal government has to institute a
day so as to tell families when it is kosher to spend time together.
I just got back from a local establishment that I frequent in the
Glebe and it was a zoo of highchairs, yuppies, baby-boomers
and young parents acting the part. Usually, this establishment
is bare on a monday and for a moment, I thought I had entered
a time-warp/daycare portal.
The funny thing is that I didn't see any parents with teenage kids
or older - it was all parents with young kids (8 years old as the
max age). Geographically, the Glebe is filled with young families
so it makes sense but it just sort of irks me that this day is just
an excuse for well-jobbed people to steal taxpayers' money.
It's almost as if young families want to show off because when
the children are young, it appears that there are 'no problems'.
When you have teenage kids, things change. It's not such a
romantic concept to have and raise a family. It becomes a chore.
I don't know about you but I didn't really always 'love' the
concept of spending time with my family when I was younger.
I remember once driving to Nashville, TN on a 19 hour straight
ride and having to pee. My road-raged Dad was all about
staying on schedule and forced my brother to hold a McDonalds
cup under my apparatus while I urinated. I'm pretty sure this
made my brother gag repeatedly. Over time, though, I have
grown to love everyone in my immediate family and see the
need for us to get together occasionally. We have all spent a lot
of time together over the years and have put up with a lot of
each other's bullcrap. There's power in that.
Socially awkward parents seem to be popping up all over the
grid, these days. One thing that I can safely say my parents
did well was to raise me with an acute awareness for that
which is going on around me. They raised me to have respect
for people of all kinds. Who are these young parents who
barge into restaurants and demand highchairs? Who
raised them?
The weather is pleasant today. I think I'm going to try and
enjoy it.
