Behaving in Public

I have a rule I like to follow when I'm in public: would I act like this in front of my mother and my kids? If the answer is no, I quickly change my behavior. You never know who's watching, and call me crazy, but I have a certain "image" I like to uphold. I certainly don't want people telling my kids they saw me acting like a drunk crazy lady.

BFF's ~ Lexi, Tess, Taylor



Apparently not everyone has the same rule.

Tonight, I went to the Carrie Underwood concert with Lexi, her two best friends, and their moms. It was supposed to be a fun girls' night out. It was. Until the people showed up to claim their seats in front of us.

It was obvious they had already had too much to drink, yet they each had a beer in each hand. Their behavior got worse as the concert went on, and as they continued drinking.



Tess and Lexi, sporting their new t-shirts



Now, don't get me wrong. I'm totally fine with people having a good time. It's fun to go out and have fun. I get that. I'm not a fun hater. But, at some point I also believe one has to look at the situation, and decide when to tone it down a little.

The ladies in front of us forgot to do that.

Yes, I know it's cool to stand and dance to your favorite songs at a concert. But in the nosebleed seats? Really? Is that necessary? Especially when you've had a few too many drinks. It's actually kind of dangerous.

It started out just two gals in front of me were standing. It was annoying, but I wasn't feeling great and wasn't going to start a fight. I fjust wanted to make sure the girls could see. But when one of the gals in front of me turned around and said "Sorry I'm standing. You probably can't see." I got a little angry. I replied "Yeah, I can't see anything." Her response: "Stand up." She obviously wanted to pick a fight. I wasn't going there. Eventually all five of them were standing purely out of spite, and purely to prove a point. A friend sitting a few rows up started yelling at them to sit down (they were blocking her view too) but that was a mistake. That just made them mad.

Yes, I know people stand at concerts. I've done it. But again, in the nosebleed seats? Silly.

I was ok with it all, until the girls couldn't see. I actually found an usher and asked if it would be ok if we moved. He said sure, but by this time the concert was almost over and the girls decided it wasn't worth it.

When the confetti started falling from the ceiling, Lexi couldn't see it. I told her to stand, but she didn't want to, because then the people behind her wouldn't be able to see. Sad that an 11 year old has more manners than 30-something ladies.

That's Carrie, in the back of the truck, suspended from the ceiling!

Again, I don't mean to be a party pooper. It just got to me tonight. But I think the girls also learned some important lessons. They learned how important it is to be polite. They learned what too much alcohol can do to a person's judgement, behavior and manners. They probably also learned some new swear words (thankfully, they are good kids and wouldn't dream of saying a bad word).  And, most important, they said they had fun. That's what it's really about. I'm glad my daughter and her best friends had the opportunity to see such an amazing concert. Carrie Underwood really is an awesome performer.

But, Lexi and I agree, the best part of the evening was the cheesecake we had before the concert.

Maybe we should have another piece of cheesecake. Cheesecake fixes everything, right?