Excuse Me

Recently my family and I were shopping when something on the other side of the aisle caught my eleven-year old daughter’s eye. She rushed over to look at it and rushed back to tell me what it was. While on her way back she walked right in front of a lady who had to stop to let her pass. My daughter never said excuse me, she just kept walking as if no one else was there but her.

My child! “How rude!” I didn’t say it, but I thought it.

I asked her why she didn’t say excuse me to the lady like she’s been taught. She looked me right in the eye and said, “You told me not to talk to strangers.”

Well, that was quite a little slap in the face.

While funny at the time, it made me realize how odd it must seem to kids that we teach them to say please and thank you and excuse me to people they don’t even know. Meanwhile teaching them to never speak to a stranger.

When I was growing up we trusted adults, even ones we did not know. We spoke to them only after being spoken to. The thought of them snatching us up and harming us never crossed our minds!

Now, it’s impossible to trust anyone. Even some you do know and have known for years. Do we really know anybody? I mean, truly, really know them?

I no longer watch the news because I cannot stand to see all the missing kids. Facebook posts are full of missing children. It terrifies me that people can be so heartless and cruel. What pleasure can you possibly get from harming an innocent child?

So if my daughter walks in front of you and doesn’t say excuse me, then just know she’s not being rude. We just don’t talk to strangers.