Rants

What became of the magic words?

Last week, at the train station near my house, a kid came up and asked for 50 cents to call his mom. If this had happened a couple years ago in San Francisco, I wouldn’t have even slowed down, but I’m trying to be a good neighbor and all that. The kid was only 8 or 9, and he really seemed like he needed a hand. All I had was a quarter, but I handed it over and told him he was halfway there.

He didn’t say a word. He just acted pissed that I didn’t give him enough, made a face, and walked away. Punk.

Today, as I walked into that same station, a girl of about 9 or 10 shouted “Hey! Hey you!” as she ran toward me with two or three much younger kids in tow. When I stopped, she asked for a phone to call her mom. Okay, so I’m a sucker. I gave her the phone.

“Hey! Hey Mom! Where are you?” There is nothing on earth as loud as a 10-year-old girl, and frequently, nothing more obnoxious. She hollered at her mom and proved herself to be a real brat. After it was decided that she would walk home, she shoved the phone back at me and walked off. Five minutes I spend helping this monster, and that’s the thanks I get.

I don’t want to get all parental and remind them to say please and thank you, but seriously, what the hell is wrong with these kids today? Everyone I’ve described here was well-dressed, clean, apparently healthy, and generally pretty normal. I bet they even use AOL at home. So why must they be such little savages?