john_morris_uk
Well-known member
Lovely day today - following some lovely days on the water last week. The children drove over to have lunch with us on the boat and we motored up the Tamar and had an ambitious (for the boat) lunch of roast lamb, roast potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, carrots and peas etc.
Slightly marred by me attempting to wave at a boat load of children which we overtook as we went up the river. An Elan 333 with seven children on board. They were about 20 metres away as we overtook and I waved to the children. Nothing. Some turned their backs. One stared so I waved again. The parents took no notices and one child continued to stare with mouth wide open.
My mistake was waving again and shouting, "You are allowed to wave back you know!"
My own children then disowned me, shouted at me, and told me to behave myself. I got cross - partly with myself for allowing myself to get wound up by what I considered to be rude behaviour of the other children and with myself for matching it by my own rudeness in calling out to them.
We saw the same children later in the day - for some reason the parents (?) had parked the boat on our club pontoon for the afternoon while the children went crabbing. No problem with that - and I even like children and try to be forbearing - but they were rude and pushed passed us and were for the large part entirely without grace. They were heard to mutter, 'Is that him?'
Our own children would never have been allowed to behave in such a way... which just goes to show that I am now a confirmed grumpy and pompous old man.
My wife as headteacher of a primary school despairs at the rudeness of children. She insists that they reply to her when she says good morning. Sadly some parents stand there when the child says nothing and explains with a coy smile and a giggle that the child, "isn't talking today". As soon as the parents are gone, the child is reminded that they don't have a choice about answering to 'Good morning", and it costs nothing to be polite and answer when spoken to....
Slightly marred by me attempting to wave at a boat load of children which we overtook as we went up the river. An Elan 333 with seven children on board. They were about 20 metres away as we overtook and I waved to the children. Nothing. Some turned their backs. One stared so I waved again. The parents took no notices and one child continued to stare with mouth wide open.
My mistake was waving again and shouting, "You are allowed to wave back you know!"
My own children then disowned me, shouted at me, and told me to behave myself. I got cross - partly with myself for allowing myself to get wound up by what I considered to be rude behaviour of the other children and with myself for matching it by my own rudeness in calling out to them.
We saw the same children later in the day - for some reason the parents (?) had parked the boat on our club pontoon for the afternoon while the children went crabbing. No problem with that - and I even like children and try to be forbearing - but they were rude and pushed passed us and were for the large part entirely without grace. They were heard to mutter, 'Is that him?'
Our own children would never have been allowed to behave in such a way... which just goes to show that I am now a confirmed grumpy and pompous old man.
My wife as headteacher of a primary school despairs at the rudeness of children. She insists that they reply to her when she says good morning. Sadly some parents stand there when the child says nothing and explains with a coy smile and a giggle that the child, "isn't talking today". As soon as the parents are gone, the child is reminded that they don't have a choice about answering to 'Good morning", and it costs nothing to be polite and answer when spoken to....
