today's observations

We all know by now that I love random observations. People watching is one of my favorite things to do. Particularly observations that relate to my life in one way or another. And oh the things I have observed lately! LOL. I am really enjoying my job. I have had such a difficult time within the last year finding a job that fit well for my life, family and current circumstances. I'm so thankful to be employed somewhere that is making a positive difference in my life rather than being a constant battle to work my life around. Working Monday - Thursday is a blessing. I know it is just one extra day a week off but it makes a world of difference. It's extra time with my children. It's time to do business hour errands. It's time to to doctor appointments. It's just extra time for me which is what this mother of 2 young children desperately needs!

So anyway, working for an orthodontist I get to deal with alot of parents. The most consistent observation I've made in the last month is the difference between mothers and fathers. We all know that mothers clearly are the brains of the family but now I have scientific proof! LOL. When it's time to set up an appointment for the next month I can tell you exactly how my encounter with the parent will go before they even approach my desk. When I ask mom what day of the week/time etc she would like to schedule the next appointment she immediately gets her pocket calendar out. Not only is every day for the next 3 months scheduled out but it's color coded according to each child and full of additional post it note lists. Mom has a date and time already scheduled for next month and is informing me when she will bring her child next. Dad walks up, asks if his child is supposed to come back sometime in the future and does he have to give me any money? When I suggest a date or time he shrugs while staring off into space and says, "I don't know. Just schedule it whenever and I'll try to remember to show up." A little more than half of the time his wife will call me later in the day to reschedule because Dad has no clue and maliciously scheduled Susie's ortho appointment during cheer practice! The nerve of Dad!

Also, I'm getting experience with the over zealous mother. In 1 month I have been yelled at by 3 mothers and stalked by 1. Luckily, I'm just a great people person and can turn the situation around where they apologize for behaving inappropriately. LOL. Some of these mothers are crazy! I had a lady argue over 68 cents. She threw a huge fit for inadvertently over paying by 68 cents. After making a big scene I offered to give her 68 cents in change and she refused to take it. I still can't find the point in that situation. One lady came in and paid the entire $4000 fee up front and then call me literally 10 times that afternoon to make sure I was going to file the remaining $700 with insurance. She even called me twice with her dental insurance company on three way! She insisted that the dental rep explain to me how to fill out the insurance claim and how to properly put it in the mail. I kept trying to explain that no matter what she did not owe any additional money. She still insisted. That was last week. She came in again today for her daughter to get her lower braces on, spent 30 minutes at my desk rehashing the whole thing and freaking out about whether or not I mailed the paperwork and how I filled it out and where I addressed it to etc. She needed to sign the financial contract that was left out of the chart last week. She kept saying, "I've already paid. Why do I have to sign this?" I must have explained ten times that it was just the contract stating that she was charged a fee and had paid it in full.

You would think that as a mother in an effort to teach your children how to deal with people and handle situations responsibly that some of these women would conduct themselves in a more appropriate manner. This is not so. They throw tantrums, embarass their teenagers, and make spectacles of themselves for no reason. I can safely say that I have a daily reminder to not be an over zealous control freak of a mother!