As a child, do you
remember being forced to treat adults with respect no matter what?

They didn’t need to
deserve it.

They were older. We were younger.

They could be wrong.

They could be jerks.

It didn’t matter.  We had
to bite our tongue.

It made no sense to me.

When I was a little older,
I got a job at a restaurant.

It was the same.

No matter what, the
customer was always right (at least I was getting paid!).

I may have hated being
mistreated or unable to speak my mind, but I learned something about diplomacy.

I learned strategies for
navigating difficult situations from a disadvantageous position.

I didn’t like it, but it
was valuable experience.

I wonder if my kids are
learning that lesson.