go do something useful

I took the girls to a semi-new playground in new housing today. We go there every now and then. It has a basketball court that we bounce bouncy-balls on, and a volleyball court that we use to dig in the sand. So, there we were, sitting in the sand on the volleyball court when a man in a car pulls up next to the court, gets out, starts meandering around, mindlessly picking up stray garbage....eventually making his way over to me and the girls.

It was Chuck. Chuck from housing maintenance.

He starts talking about nothing.

I knew he was there for a reason...I was just waiting for him to get to it.

After a few minutes he tells me that the property manager (Dora) drove by and saw us sitting in the sand and wanted to know what we were doing.

"Oh goody, here we go," I start thinking....

"We're playing." I said flatly, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Oh! yeah, there's not any sandboxes in base housing...this court is the only place to play in sand...but, well, it's probably not a good idea for kids to be playing in this," he finally says, not directly asking us to leave, but indirectly telling us to get lost.

"Really. Why not?" (can't make me go anywhere)

(Sydaleigh found a little box car on the border of the sand and grass and he saw it and picked it up, as if he needed another reason besides Dora's constant interference to ban us)

Holding the car in his hands he starts shaking his head back and forth,
"look at this right here, those darn kids, somebody could get hurt if they stepped on this in the sand."

He bends down to pick up a pebble in the sand and notices a few sticks nearby...
"yeah, look at all this. Look at all these rocks and sticks. Those kids are throwing stuff in the sand. It's really not a good idea for kids to be playing here."

Alright, that's it....

"Surely you can't blame children for throwing rocks and sticks in the sand. It's Nebraska, it's windy! It's much more likely that the rocks and sticks got blown in here!"

"Oh, well, yeah, there is inclement weather. But it's still not a good idea for kids to play here," was all he could say, again, for the third or fourth time.

"Hmmm." I smile at him, sitting back down, because I'm not leaving.

So he turns to walk back to his car and drives away.

I am fully expecting a sign to be put up by tomorrow banning children from the volleyball court.

Maybe they should focus more of their efforts on maintaining their property. Like, oh I don't know, by picking up the sticks and rocks that get blown around due to the weather. Filling in the pot holes from the work trucks that my kids are constantly falling in. Replacing the rusted broken swings at the playground by our house. Repaving the smashed in sidewalks that we can't walk on. Picking up the garbage that the workers they hire leave all over the property they manage.

Just an idea. As opposed to blaming it all on "those darn kids".

Ridiculous.