Wednesday, October 4, 2000

I thought I had seen it all.

Working at a convenience store, I see people from all walks of life. Some only buy gas, while others find that perfect snack and drink to satisfy their stomach. Still others depend on us for their breakfast, lunch, or both. Many come to play the lottery. Some play a dollar a week, while others play $10 to $30 a day.

Many times, I see parents come in; buy beer, cigarettes, and lottery tickets; yet won't even buy their child a snack. Their excuse is commonly, "I don't have the money," which is usually true since they just spent it all on themselves. Oh, well, that's another story.

I had not seen it all until [a recent Saturday]. A very nice looking lady pulls into the parking lot in a new looking SUV. She parked out between the pumps and the telephones, not in a parking place. She gets her son out from the back. He looks about 3 years old.

Leaving her door open and standing behind it, she takes the little boy's pants off, leaving just a shirt and shoes. As this happening, the other worker and myself are checking out customers as we discuss what she might be doing. After all, she is right outside our window, giving us a clear view of it all, along with all our customers.

The little boy is squatting on the ground. We can see his whole body under the car door, since the vehicle sits up so high and he is so little. He gets up and worms around as she directs him back into a squatting position.

It is also sprinkling rain as the mother attempts to put a hat on the boy which only disrupts him and he gets up again to give it back.

My coworker is saying to me: "Lady, we got bathrooms," and I'm telling her that maybe the little boy had a spill and she is cleaning it up. We weren't sure what was going on at this point.

After about eight minutes or so, the lady grabs up the boy, puts him in the vehicle and closes the side door. As she walks to her door, she stops for a few seconds, inspecting something on the cement. Then she gets in her vehicle and drives away.

Out of pure curiosity, I walk out to the spot they parked. Lo and behold, the little boy left us a reminder of how some parents raise their children. There lay a pile of "kid-poopy."

We were all in a state of shock. Is this where our society is going? I sure hope not.

My message to this lady would be: If you're going to treat your child like a dog, please carry around a pooper-scooper so others won't have to step in his mess.

Convenience store worker

Name withheld by request

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