Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
Pet peeves...I definitely have plenty of them. The challenge with this one might be narrowing it down to 10. So here we go:
1. People who pick on weaker people: Nothing gets on my nerves more than bullying. Especially because the people who tend to bully wouldn't think about acting that way with someone who isn't weaker than they are. I've been the victim of bullying and there is no more lonely feeling. I was able to stand up for myself, but I know a lot of people don't feel like they can.
2. Poor customer service: Your dad and I are good customers. We don't ask for unreasonable things and we are polite and pretty easy going. However, if I don't feel like we are being treated well, we will leave and go somewhere else. If the service is bad enough, we will never go back to that location. This applies to anywhere that has customer service: restaurants, stores, online services, etc. If I am respectful, I expect the same in return.
3. Rude people: It's not that hard to be polite and nothing is made better by being rude. This one really hits home because we are getting close to the holidays and I have noticed that during this time, perhaps more than any time, people seem to think it's okay to be rude. It's not the airline representative's fault that your flight was delayed so don't be rude to them. It's not the person at the cash register's fault that you chose to shop on the busiest day of the year, so don't be rude to them. And that just covers rudeness in a consumer situation. I can't stand rudeness in any situation. There's no need for it. It will only make things worse and ruin someone else's day.
4. People who talk in situations where they shouldn't: I know this could go with rude people, but I'm giving it it's own category. During the national anthem, be quiet. I don't care if you stand or sit, put your hand on your heart or not, sing or not, but just standing there talking is disrespectful and rude. Same deal with the Pledge of Allegiance. During a movie, anything above a whisper is not okay. Everyone around you paid to hear the movie, not your random conversation or criticism of what is on the screen. During a choir, orchestra, or band concert, it isn't about you. It's about the performers on the stage or in front of the crowd. Be quiet and make sure that you aren't trying to get all of the attention. During a graduation ceremony, especially during the speeches, again, it isn't about you. It's about the students or speakers. Be respectful.
5. Smacking your gum when you chew gum: Okay, so it isn't as big of a deal as some of the others, but it drives me crazy. If you can't chew gum without smacking, don't chew it around other people.
6. People who ignore race etiquette: This one is a relatively new one. About 14 months ago, I started doing 5K races and found that I really like them. However, I like the races best when people actually understand how to etiquette works. I started off as a walker, so I understood that just like on the road, I needed to stay to the right so that those runners in the race would have a clear path to do their running. Then I started running and walking so when I ran I moved to the left to pass and when I walked I stayed to the right, making sure not to transition right in front of someone else. When I was on a narrow path, I stayed as far right as I could. Then when I started running, I again stayed to the right except to pass someone. This seems pretty simple, however a lot of people don't get it. On a narrow path, don't walk three people across. If you are running, pass to the left...don't yell at people that you are passing on the right. Don't stop running directly in front of someone else. It's not that hard.
7. Profanity around young children: I'm not going to claim to be perfect. I do use profanity, though my plan is to cut back a lot around you. I don't want you to think it's okay, because honestly it isn't okay to curse all of the time. I know you will probably curse at different points in your life, but I don't want you to learn that it's okay to curse all of the time. So when I have you out in public, I don't expect that you are going to have to hear everyone else curse. Be aware of who is around you when you are using inappropriate language. For example, your uncle Steve and I used to go to a lot of Kansas State football games and we are very vocal fans, who don't always agree with the calls or lack of calls of the officials. Sometimes we express ourselves through profanity. But, if there were young children near us, we would make sure and censor ourselves. We didn't use inappropriate language around young children. We did our best to watch what we said and I think others can do the same. It's not too much to ask. I'm not asking people to never curse, just look and see who is around you.
8. "Dark clouds:" Everyone knows someone like this. They are the people who can't see the positive in anything. When someone is excited about something, they are the ones who only see the negative side of it. They rain on every one's parade and never seem to be happy about anything. I have a tendency to be a pessimist more than an optimist, but I do try and find the bright side of things, especially when I am around others. It drives me nuts when people always have to be negative.
9. "Chirpy" people: I know this seems like a bit of a contradiction from the one before this, but it really isn't. When I say chirpy people, I'm talking about those people who are always over the top happy, for whom everything is wonderful all of the time. People who act like everything is great and exciting and wonderful even if it isn't. You don't have to be up all the time any more than you don't have to be down all the time. Life has ups and downs and it's okay to feel those and respond to those. I'm not saying that no one should be chirpy...just don't do it near me. :)
10. Discrimination: Discrimination can be little, like how some men assume that I don't know anything about sports because I'm a woman, or big, like treating people differently based on race, religion, sexual preference, ethnicity, disability, or any other difference. It drives me nuts no matter whether it is big or little. One thing your dad and I have discussed in depth is that you are going to be a person who respects the differences in people...heck, that respects people. This is a hot button with both of us and you will learn that probably before you can read this.
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