I took public transportation a lot today, and it gave me the opportunity to observe people. With today being Mother's Day and all, I found myself paying more attention to women and their children.

While outside of the bus, I saw quite a few ladies walking around with bouquets of flowers and little families. On the bus, I saw the same old stuff that makes me wonder. Like the teenage girl I see all the time, who helps her mother get around. The mother seems to be a little slow, and so obese that she has to use the handicapped lift to get on the bus, plus she has to use a walker to get around. She needs help getting seated and standing up, and because she needs three seats her daughter usually has to do some negotiating.

The girl is embarrased by her. I can see it on her face. However, she goes shopping with the mother, carries the packages, pays the fare, and seems to have her hand in organizing. She never smiles, but she also never gives off that attitude that teens often have. It must be a terrible burden for the girl to have to take care of someone else at such a young age, but it was touching to see.

On the same bus ride I saw a young mother with four children. The youngest boy (he was about 5 I'd say) was in trouble when I boarded, and I got on just in time to hear her call him "a son of a bitch". This woman was not composed enough to handle these children, and I could tell by the way she snarled at them, smacked them around, and nearly twisted the ear off of one of the boys ( a 7-8 year old), that she just isn't ready for the responsibility that being a mother brings.

On a different ride, I saw a grandmother and three very boisterous boys. The boy next to me was about 13 and thrashing around like a fish caught on a line, gasping for air. Every utterance this boy made was yelled directly in my ear. But the kids were so obviously enjoying being with this grandmother - they were making plans for lunch, giggling, talking, and yes SHOUTING. I finally had to say something, because I was really getting angry. That boy was too old not to know about respecting other people. I asked him ever so nicely to please be careful not to shout in my ear anymore, and you would have thought I'd backhanded the child. I got the "what did you say to me?" followed by the "what did you say to my boy?!". The grandmother told me he wasn't hitting me, and I told her that she was right. I explained to her what was going on, and after a looong silence, she told me that it was none of my business. Then she told the boy to say he was sorry. What did the kid do? He rolled his eyes, looked through me and said "yeah, whatever". That was enough for grandma.

I also saw some mother-daughter stuff on TV. Like the rerun of A Different World, where the stuck-up rich girl (Whittley? Whittney?) is supposed to marry some senator, and her mother dotes on her, treats her like a princess, and tells her that she is happy for the marriage, but sorry to be losing her little girl. She then produces a bracelet made from what looked like diamonds and rubies and gives it to her daughter. The mother says that she bought the bracelet when the daughter was 3 weeks old, and was looking forward to giving it to her on her wedding day ever since then. Everybody cries. And me? I threw my remote at the TV.