First day back to school....ah bliss.

Girl1's first grade teacher is also a "health coach." And she was telling me how many of the strategies she uses with whiny, complaining, inattentive 6/7 year olds are the same ones she uses with her adult clients.

Not a startling revelation. ("No, you may not have two bagels for breakfast on this diet"). We've all encountered that joke before, right? That adults are like children?

I guess I just wish everyone would acknowledge that. I wish there wasn't this "adult" and "child" distinction that included the assumption of maturity.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all get "maturity" badges when we learned how to stop reacting right off the bat to our strongest feeling? Or a badge that says "I know how to talk to people to get what I want without whining" or a badge for "knowing how to get people to do stuff by making them think it was their idea"?

Wouldn't it be great if we could just go with the assumption that people AREN'T going to do what's best? Or be polite? Or think about how their actions affect others?

I mean really. Today in the Costco parking lot some dude had left his car in the parking lot block three other people's cars (so they couldn't get out). I saw him run over and get in the car and take off, so it wasn't a car problem. But seriously folks, what could possibly be so important that you have to antagonize and incovenience three other sets of strangers because you can't drive ten more feet to the empty parking spot?

Yet we treat that guy as an "adult" because of age. I think we should have "maturity" tests, some kind of psychological battery of tests, before we're allowed to drive or drink alcohol or have children or PARK AT COSTCO.

It would make more sense.