In the second grade, I got a very stern talking to by Mrs. Royer for telling other kids on the playground to “shut up”. I didn’t realize that I was saying something mean and I cried because I was embarrassed and because I had disappointed my teacher.
Today, while walking the dog, I was stopped in my tracks when I heard a little girl on the playground repeatedly yell to another in a very threatening tone, “Come the fuck back up here!”. I could not believe what I was hearing. I looked around to see if anyone else responded the same way I did. I caught a twenty-something year old laughing at me. It was the only reaction I saw.