The Service Is At Noon.

Find your best black suit, gather the band, and let's play a dirge for what once was a beautiful thing - common courtesy. I mean, I'm sure it's absolutely ridiculous to mourn such a silly, old-fashioned idea as treating others as you would like to be treated. Where is the advantage in that? Really, what will it get me?

Here's a prime example. My son got hurt the other night playing with some other boys. It was an accident, though probably one that was unnecessary. After pulling him inside to keep an eye on him (for whatever reason, as he was falling forward, he didn't put out his hands and landed right square on his forehead) and make sure there was no concussion, I went outside to remind the other boys that they need to be careful with their games and how they play so that these kinds of things don't happen. Within 2 minutes of walking back in my door, the mother of the boy who had actually thrown the ball showed up on my doorstep.

Did she come by to apologize for the accident? No. Did she come by to see if my son was ok? Hell No. She came by to defend her son. She wanted to make sure that I knew he "didn't throw the ball too hard". Well, fine and dandy. I never said he did. She knows because she "was watching the whole thing" through her window. Um. Excuse me? You sat there and watched my son bash his brains on the blacktop and didn't even step outside to see if he was ok or needed help? Particularly seeing I was not right within eyeshot at that point and may not have known anything had happened? Instead, you wait until you see me talking to *all* the boys about being careful and then feel the need to step outside to interject into something that is now all taken care of?

Does anyone besides me see what is wrong with this picture? What happened to the days when, if a child started screaming in pain, ALL the parents went running to see whose it was and if they could help? Or if a child got hurt and you happened to be the only one who saw it, you would help them? Or if those options are just too time-consuming, then if you're at my flippin' house in the first place about something that happened...checking to see if a child is ok after what was a serious fall? Oh. No one cares anymore. Because, you know, since there was an accident and my child was involved, you might sue me so I don't give a damn about your child as long as I can defend mine. Against accidents. And mean bitches like you. Who seem to think that accidents happen and that a "Is your child OK?" is just not too damn much to ask for.

I'm ordering a funeral wreath to be placed at the grave site of poor, forgotten common courtesy. While I'm at it, I might order another for our lost friend common sense.