Responsible Chilren, Lazy Adults

dream delivery

 

When I was a kid, the newspaper was delivered by children, or youths.  These days, it seems, this has become an adult occupation.  You would think that adults taking over the role of children would lead to better service--everyone says kids are not as responsible as adults.  Sadly, I have to tell you nothing could be farther from the truth.

The person who used to deliver my local paper walked from house to house.  They didn't trample over my grass or flowers.  They walked on the sidewalk from house to house, and always put the paper on my step, in my mailbox, or even in my screen door.  (I did in fact call the newspaper office to praise the carrier on more than one occasion)  The current person doesn't even get out of their car.  This wouldn't bother me, except that when their paper doesn't land anywhere near my house, they don't bother go correct their mistakes.  The other day, they threw the paper at me when I was on my way home from work.  Thanks.

Think this is a problem only with the local paper?  Think that this sort of thing wouldn't happen at the more prestigious national paper?  You'd be wrong their too.  Responsible children one, lazy adults zero.

not my house, but not far from the truth

I guess the parents of my local carrier taught their child well.  I am sure most parents preach responsibility and taking pride in your job.  I sure they stress it is better to do things right, than to do them quickly.  If only they could take their own advice.  I would say that I wished that they would grow up, but that wouldn't obviously be true.  I wish they would be more childish, because, surprisingly, that would be better.  At least then I wouldn't have to trudge through snow banks looking for my flyer filled newspaper.

Running Free in the Toy Store or Liquor Store

Sometimes when you go to a store, you see kids running amok.  They race from aisle to aisle, from item to item.  It can be pretty intense.  Most of the time I don't mind it, unless I have a headache--but then what in the world am I doing shopping. 

When the store in question is a toy store, I really can't blame the kids.  They are in childhood paradise, and they should revel in it.  Since I can easily channel my inner child, I can see how stimulating the experience is.

There are times when I wonder what their parents are thinking, though.  I watched the same scene that was wonderful in the toy store take place in a liquor store.  Call me judgemental, but somehow I don't think a child running wild in a store full of glass is really a good idea.  I have even seen some people let their children push the cart.  I can't be sure, but maybe the children were in better shape than the parents (it was a liquor store after all.)

When I was a child, we weren't allowed in the liquor store.  Of course, child abductors and the general decline of our civilization has made leaving children in cars or alone in front of stores a rather bad idea.  In fact, it was probably always a bad idea (like riding tail gunner position in the back of the station wagon) but we did it anyway.

I wish I could say that things are better.  Sadly, I think that though children are more computer and technology literate, they aren't better behaved.