Hey Guys, welcome to another week of Tantrum Tuesday!
I have been squirreling away ideas in a folder on this topic. I believe that I may have mentioned that I am forgetful. The folder has been helpful.
My tantrum this week is about something that has happened to me before, but happened again a month or so ago.
I had taken The Boy up to school to enroll him in some night classes. To help him achieve his goal of, you know, graduating.
There was only one woman working there, and I could tell right away that she was frazzled. And really, who wouldn’t be? She was giving some tests out in the hall, answering phones, registering us, and there were two more registrations waiting patiently behind us.
There was a snag with our paperwork. Evidently the guidance counselor from day school had chosen a class that was not possible for him to take. For some reason that I am still not clear on, but that’s ok, I talked to her the next day and she worked something out and it’s all good.
Back to The Frazzler. This snag was not a big deal for us. Lots of things in our life do not go smoothly, so therefore I don’t assume it will go smoothly, and therefore I do not get all spazzed out when things are not smooth. We are a Patient Folk.
Well, The Boy, Mousey and I are Patient Folk. The Ab-Cat can be. Honey takes blood pressure medication.
During all this business, the phone rings. The first thing that The Frazzler tells the person on the line is “I have a line, I’ m going to have to take your number and call you back”. Which was a perfectly reasonable thing to say, right? But, the person kept talking, and asking her questions. She just kept repeating her line that she would call them back, but was answering their questions! I could tell she was uncomfortable, but she kept answering, and that made them ask more! This went on for quite some time.
I still am not sure if I was more annoyed at The Frazzler or the rude caller. She probably should have just hung up on them and took care of the people who actually took the time to come in and take care of their business. But the caller is certainly not without blame either.
Since when do you and your questions have the right to waste the time of everyone else ? The Frazzler could not have been more clear that she was busy, but obviously, what you needed to know was so much more important than what everyone else needed. Your self importance is staggering. Should she have hung up on you to make her point?
She was finally able to get off the phone, after the caller had ALL of their questions answered. She was finally able to find someone to help her with the rest of the applicants and we eventually left. It occurred to me, that the only person who was not inconvenienced was the rude caller. They got what they wanted, when they wanted it. Rudy Rudolph Rude-ster.
O.K. All done.
Head on over to FringeGirl’s to hear more Tantrums in progress!
thedomesticfringe said,
February 24, 2009 at 1:58 PM
I almost feel badly for the woman answering the phone. I have a hard time shutting people up too. I laughed when you said that you don’t expect things to go smoothly and this way you’re not stressed. I think I need to adopt that attitude.
-FringeGirl
Hat Chick said,
February 24, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Some people live their lives by the creed “there’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’, but there’s ‘me’ “. It just kills me! I hate rudeness.
Rachel Hostler said,
February 24, 2009 at 7:04 PM
The Frazzler is the problem. Do your job! She should have firmly told the person on the phone I can’t talk, you’re going to have to come down here like the others in line. They — people like that — allow Rudy Rude-ster(s) to perpetuate their rudeness. This gets on my last nerve! Anyway, that’s my 2 cents!
deb said,
February 25, 2009 at 1:18 AM
Tantrums are not whining, right?
Marlene said,
February 25, 2009 at 1:51 AM
Honestly, I am not a patient person. I would have been giving Ms. Frazz very dirty looks, and sighing and shifting and making comments to the people in line with me. I too, like honey, take blood pressure medication.
caprilis said,
February 25, 2009 at 10:20 AM
My short stint as a receptionist gives me some perspective on this. I feel sorry for the frazzeled one, yet she needs to learn how to be FIRM and not try to please everyone.
I wasn’t good at this either which is why it was only a SHORT stint in the job.
caprilis said,
February 25, 2009 at 10:23 AM
And the REAL fault lies with the school for not having an answering system or hiring another person to man the phones while this woman was trying to do her job.