Where are the little people? – Yuma

This week will mark the second month we've been down here and it just dawned on us, probably due to the grandkid's birthday; there are very few little humans about. Okay, I'll grant you school is in session so they've been locked up as they should but even on weekends we've not seen much more than a handful. Short of creepily hanging out at playgrounds and schoolyards, we probably won't see the critters much and to be honest, I sort of miss the miniature terrorists.

Of course, when I do begin to ponder on such critical things invariably along come proofs where it is not a lack of the children but rather my observation skills having fallen woefully short once again. An example was just last night when, while minding my own business hunting down the not so illusive ice cream parlor, a sound rivaling at least a hundred screeching chalk boards arose. Thinking they were filming another episode of Jurassic Park I rushed to see what was going on. Sadly, upon rounding the corner the truth was revealed as we were presented with a 3 foot tall tantrum spewing young male of the species who simply was gong to die if he did not have the bright orange shoestrings instead of the lime green ones.

Now that I write about it, more examples begin to flood back into my mind as I review the memories. Its sort of like playing a movie of a train wreck over and over to capture each and every nuance. For instance when I was observing the cereal aisle theorem of snowbird Walmarts versus local Walmarts I do now recall seeing the crumb snatching, curtain climbing, mucus factories loudly proclaiming what brightly colored box of sugary fluff they preferred and had to have RIGHT NOW!

Don't get me wrong, I like children, especially those who go home with someone else. As a keen observer of the human condition there is quite a bit of entertainment to be had when you have parents and their children out in the “wild” so to speak. The interaction and resulting chaos stemming from adults attempting to create structured environments outside of the home is something to behold and definitely defies description.

If you are just starting as an observer you will quickly find this is not true when it is grandparents out with their grandkids. First off, while they may be considered adults, grandparents are often times living through their second, third, or more childhood (or have simply forgotten they are adults). Yes, there is a possibility I'm speaking from personal experience.

I digress. Back to the subject at hand, one of the primary reasons for the grandparent/grandkid contradiction is simply put, because the children do eventually go back home with someone else. This relieves the grandparent of any obligation of creating a structured environment and/or establishing any rules of conduct. For my son when he reads this, now you know why we buy the loud, obnoxious toys instead of the soft quiet ones. We can easily imagine all the fun you are having.

Enough drivel. I wrote about kids because I find myself missing our grandkids this week as they celebrate their birthdays – yes, we did mail off some loud, obnoxious toys. To Rebecca and Ariel, happy birthday. Talk your parents into taking you to the store. Visit the cereal aisle.