I just had to explain to my heartbroken four year old son why the woman pushing two kids about his age in a double stroller in front of our house didn’t say “hello” to us, even after we said “hello” and waved.
“Mommy? Why didn’t they come over? I wanted to play with them,” confused, Carson asked as tears began to fill his eyes.
I wanted to say, “Carson, I’m so sorry, sweetie. I don’t know why some people are assholes. They just are. They are the type of people we should throw rocks at. The next time they walk past our house I’ll scream ‘HELLO! HELLO!’ until she replies like a civil human being.”
Instead I hugged him and told him that they probably didn’t hear us saying “hello.” Carson looked up at me with an expression on his face that told me he wasn’t buying it. (Because seriously, we were standing at the end of the driveway saying “hello” and waving. There was no way we went unheard or unseen!)
“Well maybe they were in a hurry to get home or maybe they were really shy,” I explained again.  Quickly I tried to redirect his attention to shiny, happy objects so that he wouldn’t cry and so that I wouldn’t let it slip how I really thought we should chase the lady down and ask her what her damn problem was.
People who can’t return simple human courtesies, such as saying “hello,” completely confuse me.   Sadly, it’s not the first time it’s happened.
It broke my heart to see my son look at me with such excitement to see potential playmates! in our neighborhood! walking right toward us!, only to be completely ignored. How can you ignore two adorable little kids waving and saying “hello???” What is wrong with people?
Oh right! Some people are just assholes.
(These are the people we’re supposed to pray for, right?)
Angella
November 4, 2009 at 12:30 am
Right.
(Sometimes I pray that God will smite them. Shhhh.)
Angella´s last blog ..What’s In A Number?
Carrie
November 4, 2009 at 12:38 am
I wish I lived close by- my kids only wave and smile at old/single people (mostly because there are no kids in our neighborhood)- if they identified potential playmates I would make a beeline over there!
Carrie´s last blog ..I don’t know why he keeps expecting logic from me
Krista
Twitter: marriedlife
November 4, 2009 at 1:05 am
That is sad.
Do you count it if you say hi and the other person only smiles back as asshattery? Because sometimes I do that with strangers…
But at least I do acknowledge them… am I only have way to asshattery?
mysuestories
November 4, 2009 at 6:37 am
Is that the prayer that begins: “God, help me not to throw rocks at assholes”? _which happens to be one of my personal favorites while driving, by the way!
Ashlie- Mommycosm
Twitter: mommycosm
November 4, 2009 at 7:31 am
Unfortunately, we have one of those in our neighborhood, too. Their house is for sale though. Hoping to get non-assholey neighbors soon.
Ashlie- Mommycosm´s last blog ..Ways for kids to give back during the holidays
mep
November 4, 2009 at 7:47 am
My son is pretty sensitive as well and always asking things like, “Why didn’t that boy want to share with me?” or “Why was that man not nice?” Breaks my heart.
Thou shalt endure thee assholes.
Or something like that.
mep´s last blog ..Oh, What A Peeling!
Marylin
November 4, 2009 at 8:44 am
I hate people like that. Luckily since moving to our new (tiny!) town everyone seems friendly and stops to chat when there are littlies around!
Drove me nuts in Dundee tho when we were there. >_<
Marylin´s last blog ..Max has learned a word!
OHmommy
Twitter: OHmommy
November 4, 2009 at 8:45 am
I’m glad there are assholes in the world, it gives my children a perfect living example of what not to do. You know?
OHmommy´s last blog ..Driving me (in)sane
Jennifer
Twitter: playgroupie
November 4, 2009 at 8:55 am
Krista, I originally had a paragraph in my post about acceptable forms of acknowledgement, like the head nod or the smile…I took it out because I couldn’t make it sound right. So yes! Had she smiled or nodded, I wouldn’t have been as irritated. Had she done that, I’d definitely have assumed that she was in a hurry and she probably knew that if she said hello and stopped to chat, it would have gotten her off schedule. (Or something like that.)
amy2boys
Twitter: amy2boys
November 4, 2009 at 9:26 am
I’m so sorry! I don’t get this kind of thing either.
(Yeah, we have to pray for the assholes.)
amy2boys´s last blog ..Stuff That Won’t Be On My Christmas List
Heather, Queen of Shake Shake
November 4, 2009 at 9:58 am
Assholes are everywhere! And dumb asses too. Everywhere!
I don’t really pray for them. I pray for myself. To not bitch slap them. Seriously, it takes DIVINE INTERVENTION to keep me from doing so at times.
Heather, Queen of Shake Shake´s last blog ..Social Oblivion
Keyona
November 4, 2009 at 10:06 am
We’ve all got a few of “those” in our neighborhoods.
Keyona´s last blog ..In Which I Will Catch Yall Up
Kim
November 4, 2009 at 10:06 am
Heather, I love your blog and follow you on Twitter! Argh, can I vent? I wanted to get out of my car and bitch slap this woman today who felt the need to tailgate me the entire way as I drove my child to school, and she had a child in her car as well! I am not a pokey driver, she just felt I should get out of her HER way! Okay, thanks, feel a little better now! Yes, people can be A–holes!
C @ Kid Things
Twitter: kidthingsnet
November 4, 2009 at 10:14 am
If you were in my neighborhood, I’d definitely smile and wave. I might even let my kids play with yours, although after about 5 minutes you’d probably send them right back.
C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..Meet Stumpy
Amy
November 4, 2009 at 10:25 am
Yeah. I’m pretty sure the Bible says something about praying for the asshats of the world.
Would be nice if that were the exact phrasing because of the so many times that that’s exactly what it would be. Hah!
I like my neighborhood but so many times I have wished that we lived with a little more space between us and the next house (like, uh, a mile or two). Usually that comes after having to deal with neighbor children. Heh.
Mrs Soup
Twitter: mrssoup
November 4, 2009 at 11:36 am
If there is no acknowledgment, that’s horrible. Especially to and with kids. So sad.
Mrs Soup´s last blog ..Post-Halloween
rachel-asouthernfairytale
November 4, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Jerks. How could they NOT?
Yes, those are the ones we’re supposed to pray for, they’re supposed to be the miserable ones, thus their attitude.
I would SO have you can Carson and Ella over for a playdate and we’d cook and eat and have fun and then blog about it
rachel-asouthernfairytale´s last blog ..2 Kids, 2 Halloweens, 1 Costume
mpotter
November 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm
that sucks. and not a great way for her to teach her kids about friendly socialization.
come by my n’hood anytime.
my littlebean will be right there with you waving her little hand off!
mpotter´s last blog ..the making of The Mr.
Miss
November 4, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Nothing will help people like THAT.
Know this though, there are a whole lot of people who would LOVE to be able to come over and play with your kids and you. I’m one of them.
Miss´s last blog ..2,830
Sarah
November 4, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Ugh. how heartbreaking for him!! You’re right. Some people are just assholes.
Take comfort in knowing that you aren’t…and that you aren’t raising our kids that way either!
Kelley
November 4, 2009 at 6:02 pm
It kinda sucks that our kids have to learn that lesson.
I was in the supermarket with my 16 year old yesterday and we just marvelled at the amount of arseholery displayed by our fellow shoppers. It was rather entertaining, because we are jaded now.
Leslie
Twitter: mymommysplace
November 4, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I don’t get people like that. Their hearts are made of poop or something.
Leslie´s last blog ..No One Listens To 99% Of What I Say. Except The Universe. And It Only Hears The Stuff It Can Use To Prove Me Wrong.
Anna See
November 4, 2009 at 7:20 pm
ick. what’s so hard about a simple hello?
Anna See´s last blog ..That Doesn’t Sound Comfortable
tracey
November 4, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Not even a nod, eh? Hmmm. She must be seriously socially defunct. Wait: Had you showered today? That COULD have been an issue for ME, once or twice, when I’ve been ignored…
tracey´s last blog ..When I get down, I bake a pie. And eat the #$@% out of it…
Gina
November 5, 2009 at 9:09 pm
People suck. I have neighbors who do this same thing. When my son was 2 or 3, he used to wave and say hi to them when they were 10 feet away in their yard, and they would avoid eye contact and ignore him. Assholes.
Gina´s last blog ..Tweedle Drunk
Domestic Extraordinaire
Twitter: DExtraordinaire
November 6, 2009 at 12:07 pm
aww, that breaks my heart for poor little Carson and really makes me want to flick that lady up side the head. Its probably good that we live in suburbia since the girls have been a bit older-don’t know how I would handle it otherwise
Domestic Extraordinaire´s last blog ..La, La, La….Linoleum!
Misty
November 6, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Oh my goodness, we went through that in the mall the other day. It broke my heart. A lady came into one of those kids stores that have the tv and play table set up with her two little girls and my son who is 3 said look mom my friends are here. So he walked over and said hi, I’m 3 (which he is o proud about) and nothing, he waited and said hi again and still nothing. So he comes over and says how come my friends wont say hi to me. The mother was standing right behind me and she just looked back at her girls and turned around. I told him I didn’t know and maybe they didn’t hear him and just praised him about using his manners and being polite. I was 8 months pregnant and hormonal and I about cried over the look on his face. I think too many people don’t teach their children to be courteous anymore.
Matt@best wife in the whole world
November 10, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Meh. Skip em. If they can’t be nice, they’re not worth the ‘real estate in your mind’ even thinking about them any more.
Our 4-yr-old daughter loves old people. Forget kids…she says ‘Hi’ to every senior citizen she encounters…and they ALL beam back at her!
Matt@best wife in the whole world´s last blog ..Jean – Best Wife In The Whole World