Day 189 – Military mode or mom mode?

Today we were in the library when the nearby middle school let out.  The library was instantly flooded with kids.  No problem.  Lukie likes being around older kids.  Then they started throwing around F bombs and calling everything sh*t.  Well I was about to say something when one of the kids fell backwards in his chair sending cheese crackers all over the floor.  The librarian quickly approached and very politely said “That is why food it not allowed in here.  Please pick up as much as you can so that the younger kids don’t step on all of them.”  One of the girls immediately jumped up and started cleaning up (totally what rule following me would have done when I was a kid).  The boy who had fallen back in the chair stood up and attempting to be cool in front of his friends said, “Not my crackers.  I’m not picking them up.”  The librarian politely asked him again, “Please help clean them up.”   He repeated again, “not my crackers,” and ignored her.  Something in my brain went “snap”.  I got into semi-scary mommy mode, stood up and said, “She is not asking you anymore, I am telling you…pick up the crackers.”  He obediently started picking up crackers.  I hope that when my kids act like that and I’m not around some mom takes them aside and straightens them out.  I actually think I should have used my “mommy voice” more in the military!  It was quite effective.  (too bad it doesn’t work as well on my kids)