Rant.

What is it with people these days?

Listen, and listen well. Er, read well. Whatever.

When you come as a guest to a park, a store, a hotel-anything-keep in mind that, in 90% of cases, the employees happen to know what they're doing. They know the prices of merchandise, opening and closing times, what cable packages include what, how much everything costs...the whole she-bang.

For the record, I've just started a new job at a waterpark in Niagara Falls. Yes, I DID just get the job, but before I started I got to read FOUR booklets on how to deal with every possible situation I might ever come across, and my first two shifts were spent with seasoned employees who passed on their knowledge to me. There are even signs EVERYWHERE stating the obvious rules of the park.

At Marineland, I had to deal with a LOT of complaints and stupid guests, but I haven't been so infuriated by a guest in a very long time.

Okay, so, keeping in mind that I know in theory AND in practice how to do my job, let me share a nice little story with you. I was guarding the dry playground area of the waterpark, which is like the play areas you used to find in McDonald's around the States. It had different rules from the other parts of the park-you have to be dry to go in, and UNDER 48 inches tall.

The slightly too-tall kids were being good and there were few toddlers in the area, so I didn't enforce the height too much, but somehow an adult woman slipped past and appeared at the top of the middle slide. I'd really like there to be a minimum height for that slide-it's about 10 feet up, and kids come shooting off it like rockets. Anyways, she sat her 15-month old baby in her lap and, DOING MY JOB, blew my whistle. "One at a time," I said firmly. Usually people just listen to me, since they can't go down otherwise at all. However, this lady said, just as firmly, "he's too little to go by himself."

"No, that's the rule. One at a time."

"But he's too little!"

"Sorry, one at a time or you don't come down at all. That's the rule for everybody."

After some more pointless arguing, and instead of taking the logical route and climbing back down the stairs (DUH!) this lady decides she's going to spider-crawl down the slide with the kid in her lap. Okay, whatever, I'm at the bottom of the slide, can't stop her anyways, can I? And then- I couldn't believe this- she stops at the top of the big drop, and DROPS HER KID.

Threw him like a bowling ball.

Anyways, this kid is barely a toddler, and he was fucking TINY, and it's a big slide even for older kids AND adults- and he tumbles down over and over to the bottom.

I watched this in silence, thinking all the time..."you've got to be fucking kidding me...."

Then this bitch has the gall to blame ME for it. Keep in mind I assumed she was going to crawl the ENTIRE way down the slide with the kid.

"I shouldn't have listened to you! Look what happened! You're such an idiot! *grumble mumble mumble*"

I kept my cool, muttering: "It wasn't my choice to take a baby down a slide he was too small for."

(The kid was perfectly fine, by the way. I don't even think he had enough brain power to realize he was ON a slide in the first place)

Anyways, the bitch stormed off, and I rolled my eyes and continued with my job.

So, why, WHY IN THE WORLD, would she blame ME for HER tossing HER child down a huge slide? I didn't tell you to spider-crawl down, I told you to go down one at a time or get the fuck out, but she didn't listen to me. Guess what happens when you don't listen to staff? You fail as a parent.

I'm by no means an idiot because YOU decided not to listen to the park rules. It is very clearly stated on ALL signs that staff instructions must be obeyed. Don't hate me for being in charge of the welfare of your child and hundreds of other children and adults alike in the park. Just suck it up, obey the rules, and try to be a decent human being next time.