SOMETIMES OUR LITTLE KIDS EMBARRASS US!

      I listen to a noon radio talk show most of the time. This week one of the topics was about how our kids have embarrassed us. I had an instant idea but didn't phone in. Instead ,I thought I'd tell my readers the story.

    I have to set things up for the story. Early 1970's. (Wow that seems like a long time ago.) We wore huge bell bottom pants that had large patterns and wild colors. Remember the leisure suits? My son was 3 1/2 years old.

     We were camping. I took him to the campground bathroom. My son pointed to a cubicle and said, "Dad, there's a clown in there." I tried to ignore him and distract his attention. He got more excited than ever and was jumping up and down because there was a clown in one of the cubicles. Since we were standing waiting for a cubicle to be available I couldn't hide. What my son saw was the bottom of a pair of trousers and big shoes. The pant cuffs were huge. The green plaid pattern was gigantic...something like what a clown would wear. 

    The guy emerged from the cubicle and my son was  jumping up and down saying, " There he is Dad. There's the clown." 

    Now I must admit the guy could have been taken for a clown. He was young and obese so the bell bottoms were larger than ever. I don't think the guy caught on that he was being called a clown. 

    When we got back to our camper my son told his Mom that he had seen a clown.

    It was embarrassing but fun once it was over.

Embarrassment

      Most if not all people know the feeling of embarrassment. We can be caught at something or do something that brings about discomfort. We may tense up, sweat or feel tension for what has been done.

      Even though I'm pretty thick skinned I have experienced embarrassment. I can make a very dumb mistake. I can say something that can be misinterpreted. I can misinterpret something and my response is to be embarrassed.

     I think some people suffer embarrassment much more than others. I find that if I'm quick enough to catch on to an embarrassing situation the easier it is to survive. I can admit or acknowledge that I've done something embarrassing. As a guy, my fly is sometimes left down. If I happen to be lucky and somebody reminds me a quick comment of oops and thanks for the reminder gets me by. If I discover the situation myself, then I wonder how many stares I have missed and suffer embarrassment alone.

     This week my partner embarrassed me. My partner asked me to pick up a book for her from the library. She's been reading James Herriot books lately and asked me to find one she hadn't read. She met me at the library and I had one book picked out but she had read it. There were a couple more on the list that we looked for and couldn't find. I asked and was informed that they were in the children's section.

     Well, my partner just had to go to the children's section as she thought maybe she would find something suitable. We found one book and then asked where the other two were located. We were informed that they were picture books but the librarian insisted that we look at them. She insisted that she liked picture books and that my partner would enjoy the book. Well, guess what? My partner decided to take the kid's book!

    So I said  ,"How am I going to check this thing out? People will think that the old guy has regressed into his second childhood." So for this I can be humorous and joke about it. I suppose I could say that it's to read to a grandchild.

   Now I've know the librarian who talked to us for a long time. My daughter had a job at the library during high school and worked for Laural. I was on the library board and Laural was an excellent children's librarian.

    Now Laurel is also an accomplished writer of children's books. She writes picture books.

    So you see that there is a connection to the event that took place. It was not embarrassing but a lot of good fun.

A Senior Embarrassment

     A few days ago my wife said , "Let's go to Tony Romas for Father's day lunch. Tony Romas usually has a special offer on Father's Day."

     I said, "Whatever!" I wasn't really listening.

     So yesterday off we went to Tony Romas for lunch. We had our lunch and my wife asked if there was a Father's Day special. The waiter replied that he didn't know as the special deals were given to him just a few days before the event. My wife thought the waiter didn't know what he was talking about.

    I usually leave a restaurant long before my wife. She can fuss about things just fine when I'm not there.

    On her way out she checked at the front desk about the Father's Day special. The young gal looked shocked and said, "If it's Father's Day I'm in trouble." That's when my wife got it sorted out. Yesterday was not Father's Day! What a surprise! What an embarrassment! So I'm glad I left a restaurant early! It's one of those really embarrassing moments and it's good not to be there.

    So you've really got to watch those seniors. They can get things mixed up and really embarrass you!

    So do other people embarrass themselves by screwing up big time or is it only me?