Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Because everybody is somebody's baby

This weekend I was lured into that evil redheaded bitch's lair again. While waiting to check out with my daughter and all of the crap I didn't need couldn't live without, I was behind a man who was being rude to his cashier. His cashier was Colin. And Colin is my buddy.

You see, Colin is a person with different abilities. But what he may lack in critical thinking or math skills, he more than makes up for in personality. Colin is a charismatic fellow with a quick wit and awesome sense of humor. But he does like to talk. A lot. And sometimes that annoys customers when they just want to load their kitty litter and diapers into their trunk and haul ass because they are late for their kid's soccer game. I get it. But for those who take the time to listen to what Colin is saying, he will always make their day.

So, as I heard the guy getting gruff with my main man, I spoke up. SHOCKINGLY I wasn't a total bitch to the rude customer. I just said, "Hey, Colin! What's the joke of the day?" He replied, "Manti Te'o." I, of course, had no idea who he was talking about. Yeah. Colin is both cooler and smarter than me. The rude customer, on the other hand, knew who Manti was and started laughing. Colin had finally gotten through to him. The customer thanked Colin and left with a smile. And maybe a changed point of view. Colin is the bomb like that.

Once we were done checking out, I gave Colin a high five and my daughter and I went about our day. A day that was a little brighter because Colin and his endless jokes were a part of it.

The best part of this interaction? My daughter was a part of it. She saw me treat a person with kindness that others might treat like they were below them. I hope she learns that we treat all people with respect, regardless of their religion, sexual preference, age, race, abilities or economic status. Because everybody is somebody's baby. And they deserve to be treated like a person. Just like everyone else.


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33 comments:

  1. HarloweJanuary 22, 2013 at 8:30 AM

    <3 Love this. Kindness has become my new way of life. And sarcasm. But mostly kindness. Sometimes.

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  2. Kate TJanuary 22, 2013 at 8:42 AM

    Thank you for showing your daughter the way all should be treated no matter their abilities!

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  3. Some_Lost_GirlJanuary 22, 2013 at 8:57 AM

    I love this! Thanks for being that person. I love that you not only treat Colin like the awesome person he is, but in bridging the gap between him and the other customer you might have nudged that customer to do the same from now on (fingers crossed!) which is a double win! :-)

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  4. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:00 AM

    This is lovely! I hope to teach my son the same.

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  5. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:01 AM

    This is lovely! I hope to teach my son the same.

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  6. KatherineJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:23 AM

    Love this. The awesome momma award of the day goes to you, my friend (my friend who I have never met, but who gets me [and many other warrior mamas] through my crazy ass days).

    Thank you.

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  7. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 10:22 AM

    Will loves Colin, too. They talk in circles with each other... the other day I think they waxed poetic on The Beatles for what felt like a half hour. Thank you for being such an awesome lady!! J has a great role model.

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    1. ilikebeerandbabies.comJanuary 22, 2013 at 11:12 AM

      OF COURSE Will loves him. My god I would like to just be a fly in one of their convos!

      Delete
  8. LinzJanuary 22, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    Congratulations on not going into total bitch mode too. That would've been hard to resist.

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  9. LinzJanuary 22, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. ErinJanuary 22, 2013 at 10:42 AM

    good for you!! this is great!!!

    i just found and started reading your blog last week.. then spent the majority of my work week reading all your archives to catch up.. im sure my boss would love to hear all about it.. i think your the greatest!!! this blog is hilarious, heart warming and a great reminder (which i desperately need sometimes) that moms are people too, not just moms.. now instead of reading the paper with my morning coffee, i read you.. SOOO much better!!

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  11. lorihokieJanuary 22, 2013 at 11:24 AM

    That was the perfect way to defuse that situation - good for you for thinking on your feet! (PS I have no idea who that Manti person is either, but he was all over Facebook a couple days ago - I never bothered to Google him.)

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  12. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 11:48 AM

    Love this. As a person who used to work with special needs, things such as this always warm my heart.

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  13. www.pinkbears.caJanuary 22, 2013 at 2:04 PM

    What a beautiful interaction! I love it!

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  14. Running MamaJanuary 22, 2013 at 3:16 PM

    That was so awesome I teared up, I'm sure with the example your setting TQC and CC will take the lesson to heart!

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  15. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 4:04 PM

    I love that you linked to nellas triple crown. Kelle is amazing!

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    1. ilikebeerandbabies.comJanuary 22, 2013 at 4:05 PM

      Hopefully it made some sort of difference there today.

      Delete
  16. RobynHTVJanuary 23, 2013 at 6:30 AM

    Way to go, mama! I try to remember to model the behavior I want to see, but it's good to have a reminder. Especially when your 1 1/2 year old just started saying "oh, crap." I don't know who she hears that from on a daily basis. *whistles, looks at ceiling*

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    1. ilikebeerandbabies.comJanuary 23, 2013 at 8:54 AM

      I am not even going to say what my daughter repeated to me the other day...

      Delete
  17. SaraJanuary 23, 2013 at 7:41 AM

    You are so awesome! More people need to be like that...sad that most of them aren't

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  18. b.frog julesJanuary 23, 2013 at 1:43 PM

    Awww...that made my day after a super-yuck 3-hour glucose test.

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  19. BrennaJanuary 23, 2013 at 7:51 PM

    Nice job. I can't stand when people are rude to those in the service industry.

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I love hearing from you. It reinforces that writing this blog is not just a silly waste of my brain matter. If you leave a douche canoe comment, I will delete it. I am powerful like that.