Kits and Kids
I'm just back from cat duty. My regular shift is on Fridays, but I like to go in twice a week if I can. Certainly the cats need the attention. And I think I need it too.

Today there were two families with young children there and all of them were perfect examples of why most people should not have kids. Yelling. Screaming. (Oh, the screaming!) Running around. Putting their fingers in the cages to try to pet the cats after me asking them four times not to. Scaring the cats by banging on the cages. They were monsters. I asked the kids to be gentle and quiet around the cats. That didn't work. So I spoke to the parents. That didn't work either. So now we've got five kits running around like demons, making an incredible amount of noise, freaking out the kitties, and generally being hell.

I can't even begin to understand how hard it is to be a parent. But aren't you making it even harder on yourself by raising kids that nobody likes and that will, no doubt, grow up to be out-of-control? At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, I wouldn't have been allowed to behave like that. My parents, for all their faults, always made it clear what kind of behavior was acceptable. Acting like a spoiled brat was not allowed. So why are so many kids now allowed to be this obnoxious?

You see it every day. Kids having temper tantrums in restaurants. That ear-shattering screech that only children can achieve lingering in the aisles at the grocery store. Little whirlwinds running wild in public places without a parent to be seen.

One of the things I love about my friends is that those who are parents are good parents. Their kids have manners. They behave. They know right from wrong and are not allowed to be headache-inducing little demons from hell. So I'd like to thank my friends for being responsible parents.

As for me, no kids (ever!)(thankfully). But one hell of a headache.