Authority Issues.

I think I have an authority issue. I don’t have a problem with authority. I just don’t think I have any when it comes to kids other than Charlie and Noah (and at times, Madison and Rebecca.)

This afternoon we went to church to have dinner before the service. As soon as we walked in a little girl I had never seen before ran up and asked if Charlie could sit next to her. While Sam got in line to get our dinner I went to sit down with Charlie, Noah and Charlie’s admirer.

(I need to stop here and explain how Charlie has a way with the ladies…specifically, older ladies. He always seems to latch on to a little girl several years older at Chick-fil-a and at church. At one point tonight, two little girls were actually fighting over who got to hold his hand and walk around with him.)

When we sat down, I noticed I was surrounded by a lot of kids in the 4-8 age range, and I didn’t see a parent around. I really have no idea who the kids belong to or if their parents just dropped them off. They seemed to all come to some unspoken agreement that I was responsible for them. All of a sudden I was fetching more butter for their rolls, cleaning up their spills and giving permission to go get more ketchup. One little boy spilled his drink and I had to crawl under the table to mop it up. When I stood up I found another little boy sitting in my chair finishing off my dinner.

Later that night, I was telling Missy about what had happened. I told her “I have no idea where all the adults were!” Then it dawned on me: I am an adult. These kids saw Sam and me as “real” adults. It kind of bewilders me, like when Madison’s friends tell me ‘yes ma’am’ or a friend refers to me as ‘Miss Julie’ to her kids. In my head, I still feel like I am 16. Apparently to the rest of the world, I have graduated from a ‘miss’ to a ‘ma’am’. And ma’ams carry a certain authority among all kids, whether they are theirs or not.