BREAKING: Chalk Washes Off

I was a nervous child. I remember being scarred for years if I was yelled at by a stranger or if a harsh comment from an adult was thrown at me. Maybe that's why I am genuinely bothered by adults who yell at another parent's child.

I'm not saying that a kid should be able to play on a stranger's lawn or mess with something at a store. Hopefully, the parent can take care of that behavior. But if a comment has to be made, why be angry and hateful? It can be shocking to a kid. If scarring is what you're going for, good, but keep in mind that you'll also be the bad guy, the hated enemy on the block. And the news will spread that you're "mean." Kids look out for each other.

I guess this has more to do with the way a person handles a situation than the initial trigger of children playing where they shouldn't be etc. The people who yell at children without first assessing the situation are probably the same people who cut you off in traffic then shoot you a dirty look or make a fuss over a drink ix-up at Starbucks.

People like this are probably having a bad day. Maybe they've had too many bad days and it's starting to catch up with them. Their negativity spreads nonetheless. Building up a shield against it is the trick. When someone narrowly misses your car, why not jut be happy that you weren't hit? Why not let the occasional mistake of a stranger slide without blowing up over it? Small matters like that should play no role in your happiness.

So when I see a woman lose her head over young girls coloring with chalk on the sidewalk outside of her house, I am baffled. Why does it matter? Chalk comes off with the next rain. The innocent girls are not tattooing their names on her son's face.

To quote my favorite book (Slightly out of context), Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid.