Conspicuous By Absence...

I receive hundreds and hundreds of thank you's each season from parents who tell me what a nice thing that I am doing for kids. It then becomes almost 'conspicuous by absence' when a parent departs without so much as a smile. Such was recently the case!

Upon a substantial period of post party thinking, I arrived at a conclusion of sour grapes due to our grown-up "rules" here in Dry Gulch. When I announced that there was no smoking allowed in the Gem Mining Area, I heard a disgruntled mumbling from a mom and dad, who were then even further upset when the no cell phones rule was announced. These rules benefit the children (my one and only concern). And I do give the latitude of using both phones and cigarettes on the outside of the nearby gate.

With literally thousands of nice people who attend Dry Gulch each year, who are truly understanding of what we set out to accomplish for the kids... I salute you! However, for the mom and dad that continued to whine and grumble, I offer this...
Grow Up! It's not always about you! In this case, you could both learn from your children who told me that Dry Gulch was Awesome! Your one child actually had the right to shed some tears at the end of the event, but she toughed it out and didn't even let out a sigh of discontent in the kids store, unlike her mom and dad who were still caught up in life's improprieties and inequities that were seemingly leveled against them.