assumptions

3 active boys were running all over the train. they were throwing balls to each other and yelling and jumping everywhere.

the other passengers were clearly getting aggravated. eyes were rolling, sighs were getting louder and louder.

the boys were traveling with there father that day. he sat motionless, oblivious to all of the chaos they were causing. people were getting furious.

they started looking at one another, trying to urge someone to approach the father. the boys began running into people and spilling women's bags.

this man is the worst father they all had ever seen. surely he could at least say something to these boys.

finally a man approached the father.

"Sorry to bother you, but your children are a bit out of control," the man said.

the father looked at this stranger teary eyed and replied. "Their mother just died this morning, and I don't have it in me to yell at them."

same town

a man sat at a welcoming booth at the rest stop just outside of his town. there he handed out brochures and maps.

one day a family arrived at his stop. looking weary and sad, the father asked the man what the people of the town were like. the man at the booth asked the father how he liked the last town where he lived.

"It was awful," the father replied. "Everyone was unfriendly and rude. They were very snobby and we didn't make any friends at all."

"Well," the man said, "I am sorry to say that you will probably find the people here to be unfriendly and rude too."

the unhappy family left, with the same attitude they had when they arrived.

a few hours later another family entered the welcoming booth. they were happy and smiling when they approached the man at the booth.

"Tell us about the people in town," the father inquired.

"How did you like the people in the town where you used to live," the man asked.

"They were wonderful," replied the father. "They were so welcoming and kind and giving. We had a very hard time saying good bye to such good friends."

"Well," the man replied, "I am happy to say that you will probably find the people here to be friendly, nice and giving as well."

and the happy family left with the very same attitude they had when they arrived.

isn't that what you told me?

today something surprising happened. a teenager did exactly what he said he would do. we weren't prepared, in our family we have little experience with this kind of thing.

we all woke at noon. i asked if my boys had any plans. my youngest went to a friend's. my oldest said that a kid he knows mentioned that he might come over to hang out at 1:15.

text him and make sure he will be coming, i said. when he didn't respond we went on with our day. the big one and i went shopping for football stuff.

at 1:15 my son's phone rang. his friend was at our door wondering where we were. tell him we will be home in 15 minutes.

i thought you said he might come over, i said. well i guess we did kinda make plans, my son said. he didn't answer his text, didn't call to confirm, just came over like he said he would. another awful plot to make our family look bad.

we may learn a lot from this kid. if we don't totally corrupt him first!