Kids.

Everyone always assumes that I love kids. Yes, I was an early childhood major. Yes, I teach kindergarten. Yes, I am good with kids. No, I do not love all kids. People think because I spend all day everyday with 17 five year olds, that I have this super high tolerance for kids. This, my friends, is incorrect.

Dad and I went to El Jalisco's tonight for dinner. We were not even two chips into our meal when I heard what sounded like my class of 17 on the other side of the restaurant (it was probably only 5). Over and over and over they were yelling, singing, screaming, and many more synonyms for being plain obnoxious. Even Dad, who is deaf, couldn't stand the obnoxiousness.

This annoys me for many reasons. First, this is a restaurant, not a McDonalds playground. Second, these girls were old enough to know better. Third, their parents were sitting in the next booth over boozing. I am all for parent time, but leave the kids home with a baby sitter. I am also all for taking your kids to dinner, but sit them at a table with you.

Being a kindergarten teacher does give me patience. However, this patience only extends so far. It also only extends for my 17 kids whom I love and adore (and any relatives, family friends, or friends' relatives). Strangers' kids, I do not care for. In K4, when you do something that may break my patience there is a little thing I like to call the "thinking chair." I cannot put your singing at the table child in the thinking chair. I cannot pull your throwing chips across the table child's card. I cannot write up and suspend your running around the table playing musical chairs child.

So, from someone who does have a lot of patience for children, get a hold of your kids. If this is how I feel, just think about how everyone else feels.