Since I am completely superstitious, I won't more fully comment on the vacation until we're firmly back into suburbia---but I will say that Little M has morphed into a tiny, brunette mermaid, both adults are having fun, and despite my moniker of "Little Miss Sunshine", it turns out that I am not so sun-friendly. Fire-engine is a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm definitely beyond fuschia and brick on the sun damage scale.
Go ahead, judge away. I do know better- I just chose to ignore my better judgment.
On another note, I had a brief encounter on the elevator that has me questioning what we are teaching our young people in terms of good manners. Don't get me wrong---I'm all for manners and I'm all for respect. With that in mind, I am pretty sure that good manners dictate that I should be insulted in public elevators.
Evaluate the facts and circumstances for yourself, please:
The scene: LMS in elevator with a mid-to-late teenage boy wearing a Penn State shirt.
LMS: Cool shirt. Do you go to Penn State?
Misguided teenager: No ma'am. I'm still in high school, ma'am.
LMS: (looking around for the ma'am in the elevator. realizes that there are only two people in elevator)
LMS: Lucky you.
Misguided teenager: I want to go to Penn State, ma'am.
Misguided teenager exits elevator with "good night, ma'am."
You read correctly. I was ma'am-ed 4 times in the span of a 30 second conversation.
Go ahead. Laugh. It's funny.
I'm not that old, dammit! I've been using moisturizer that it supposed to take 10 years off of my face. I don't have (many) fine lines and wrinkles. Due to a freakish genetic gift that I've received from my dad, I don't have any gray hair. (THANKS, DAD!) No matter. I got ma'am-ed anyway.
Before you bucket me as being a complete a-hole, I will give credit to the kid in the elevator for being polite and for properly using manners as currently defined. I just think that the specific manners that dictate that we call women still in their 30s "ma'am" blow big................umm, balloons. Blow big balloons. Yes. That's exactly what I wanted to say.
If manners are intended to be a reflection of respect, the flagrant use of ma'am misses the mark....big time. I don't feel respected and wise. I just feel freaking old. Feeling freaking old blows big.....umm, bubbles. Yes, bubbles. That's exactly what I wanted to say.
I'd like to rewrite that particular section of the etiquette rulebook, if I may. If a woman looks like Mrs. Claus or any Golden Girl who wasn't Blanche (btw, Blanche totally rocked)---ma'am away. If not, how about we just keep our mouths shut?
Feel free to make my day at any point and call me "Miss",
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