Unsolicited Stranger Advice

It was bound to happen.  I have a child so at some point, some stranger was going to tell me how to raise my kid.  After 2 years and 3 months, this past Saturday was that point in time.

Back story starts with waking Jackson up at 6:45 am.  That is at least an hour before he gets up normally.  We went to Pigeon Forge so I could run a race.  While I raced, he and Jason raced through the halls of the high school, across the parking lot, down the road, and back countless times.

If he wasn't overstimulated enough, we took him to the kiddie ride place where he rode the train, the swings, and Thomas.  He was now past his nap time but he was also hungry and so were we.  We asked him what he wanted to eat and as usual, he replied, "Mac and Cheese."

We stopped at the Cracker Barrel.  The food is fast and there is a lot that will keep a toddler occupied.  We were called to be seated almost immediately.  Jackson was not pumped to sit in the high chair.  He started crying and kicking and was not at all happy.  Wouldn't you be mad?  Think about being tired and hungry with someone trying to strap you into a chair?  At least he doesn't know any foul words yet....

At this point, everyone in the Cracker Barrel had turned their heads to take a look.

To soothe him, I asked Jason to give him the paci.  For everyone that just gasped, yes, he still uses his pacifier for sleeping only.  Judge if you want but if this is the worst thing we do as parents then I will take it!  The only reason it was with us was because we intended for him to sleep in the car on the way home.  Each morning, he immediately puts the paci in the play kitchen (his place to hold it this week) and he gets it back only when it is time to sleep.  He does the same thing for nap time at home and the same rules apply at pre-school.  As soon as he wakes up, the paci goes into the back pack.

Back to the story...he immediately calmed down.  He started coloring and playing and everyone in the restaurant could eat in peace.

Seconds later, a lady diagonal from me motioned for me to come over.  Of course I looked around and she she shook her head yes indicating that she wanted to talk to me.  She promptly told me that her daughter had used the "Binky Fairy" and that she had great success weaning her granddaughter from the paci using the ol' Binky Fairy.  She said that we should maybe consider trying the same thing since he seemed so attached to the binky.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am hardly ever at a loss for words.  Ever.  In those 15 seconds before I spoke, I wasn't really sure how to proceed.  Dump her tea on her?  Probably not appropriate.  Talk to her like I used to talk to line cooks in my restaurant days?  Again, probably not appropriate. I thanked her for her advice and told her that he was tired and that we gave him the paci so that everyone else in the restaurant could enjoy their food.  I smiled and walked back to the table.  I tried not to make disgusting faces at her while telling Jason what had just happened.

Seriously?  It was bound to happen at some point and now, it has happened.  Ironically, all of the people who have heard the story have had their own advice on how to handle someone like this!

If you ever get the urge to tell a stranger how to raise their child, just don't do it.  They are not going to thank you and mean it.  My kid is not your grand kid.  My kid isn't your kid.  If I am lucky enough to have another kid someday, that kid isn't going to be Jackson.  Very simple.

Did she mean well?  Probably.  But, If I want your advice strange lady, I will ask you for it.

Today's lesson:  Watch out for strangers who want to talk to you...........which makes me turn that around and into the old saying, "Never talk to strangers."   Hmmm.

Why are you in such a hurry?

Why are you in such a hurry?  Why didn't you leave your house 10 minutes earlier?  Are you really that much more important than every other human out this morning/afternoon/evening?  Do you not have any respect for those around you?  You realize that the vehicle you are driving is a big piece of machinery that could very well kill you and everyone else around you?

These are things that I ask myself daily in the car.  I read somewhere a few weeks ago that Knoxville is ranked high for safe driving and if I had been taking a sip of anything to drink then I would have spit it across the room.  Drivers here are terrible.  Nope, we aren't Atlanta but we do have some pretty hostile drivers that always seem to be running late and in a hurry to get where they are going.

I found out two days last week that I should not drive during morning rush hour.  Ever.  Trying to merge onto I-640 from Western Avenue is apparently the most insulting thing a person could do to all of those other people already on I-640.  And, once you actually merge onto I-640, getting into the far left lane to go downtown is a nightmare.  People hate you for that.  I don't understand.  If you are in the middle lane then what is so wrong with letting someone pass in front of you to make their way to the left lane?  Obviously no one works in downtown Knoxville anymore and they are all heading to West Knoxville.  Who knew?

I work from home so I am fortunate enough not to have to fight the rush hour traffic with everyone else every day.  If I did, then I would probably have really high blood pressure and would be close to stroke or heart attack even though I am a really healthy person.

Today is Sunday, after a fun afternoon at Mead's Quarry walking the choo choo tracks and throwing rocks into the water, we headed home to make dinner.  At 6 pm, we had a guy almost hit us from behind so that he could get in the left turn lane where the light was red and he wasn't going anywhere fast.  Then, there was a dude in such a hurry that he was weaving in and out of traffic on a four lane road and proceeded to cut off two cars only to find himself having to let a motorcyle in front of him when the lanes merged from four to two.  Then, he proceeds to tailgate the guy on the motorcyle.  So, I had to ask out loud, "where the heck is this guy going in such a hurry on a Sunday at 6 pm?"  Really?  Where was he going?

Why is everyone in such a hurry?  Can't you leave 10 minutes prior to whatever time you left?  Did I miss the part where every road in Knoxville is actually the Indy 500 track and we should all drive like a bunch of maniacs?

I certainly am not the best driver in the world but if I see you coming and you are weaving in and out of traffic then I am going to let you roll on because I am not that important and whoever I am meeting will understand if I am 5 minutes late.  I was taught that early is on time.  Simple.  I always leave early and 90+ percent of the time, I am going to be early or right on time to appointments, meetings, etc.  If I am late, it is because of something that I could not control but I don't stress and drive like a crazy person.  I apologize for being late and move right along with the task at hand. 

Maybe everyone could just take a deep breath and try to be gracious to one another on the roads.  It may not save the worlds problems but heck it may save some lives and definitely save some folks from blood pressure medicine/