6 In The Waiting Room

'I am late!". I grumbled aloud in my mind. 2:45 pm I paused in front the Clinic's door and put on my mask. Walking up to the medical receptionist I whisper shout with a slight grimace in my tone, "good afternoon, I am sorry. I am late for my 2:30 appointment with the doctor."   

"Oh, that's ok, the doctor is running a little behind with his appointments today. There are two people before you, so have a seat and I will call you."

"Thank you. I will sitting in the chair by the elevator." 

Sitting down on the chair by the elevator where there is less traffic because of the signage "PLEASE USE ELEVATOR ON THE OTHER SIDE" I opened my tote and removed my tablet, pulled up the Overdrive App and selected "ONE PERFECT MOMENT" by A.C. Arthur. As I read, I see a little body dancing around the giant potted plant with a equally large palm tree surrounded by artificial succulent plants and decorative flat stones in varying sizes, stationed in the middle of the waiting room. I paused from my reading and looked up. It was a little girl, twirling her way around and around. As she noted no one paying attention to her she began to satisfy her curiosity by digging up the artificial succulents and the flat stones and rearrange them. No one told her to stop so she proceeded to rearrange the plants to her liking. I looked around to see to whom she might belong but to no avail as no one acknowledge her. This irritated me. As the little girl began testing the boundaries of what she get away with by destroying the arrangement that was not meant to move. At one point she yanked one of the succulents out. "Who does this child belong to, she is destroying the display. It is not meant to be a toy." I said. No one moved, no one claimed her. No one attempted to move or discipline her. 

"Rhapsody, Rhapsody,"

"Yes, right here, I am coming." I saw the medical personnel look at the little girl with a slight irritation on her face. 

"This way, room one."  

"Thank you, may I have the stool in room 2 please. Its very comfortable. 

"Sure, no problem."

"Here you go, Rhapsody."

"Oh thank you so much. Just a word of warning regarding the centre piece outside. You will have to have someone glue back the arrangements, unfortunately the little girl yanked out a few of the succulents."

"I know, I saw, the parents didn't discipline her, the sad thing is when she is older and fail to listen to them they will act surprised." She said rolling her eyes.

At the end of my appointment as i was leaving room one, I saw the little girl and her parents walking into room two. ironically, it was the woman and man who sat not to far from where I sat  in the waiting room. There is no doubt they heard when I asked where is the parent of this child.  They were so tuned out, so disconnected in parenting their child. I just looked at them and shook my head thinking, 'they'll let her tear up the doctor's office and play on the computer that he accesses patience files, while they sit muted like crash test dummies.' 

Word to parents, would be parents & guardians: Children, blessings that they are, takes work, the 24/7 kind of work, they require engagement and guidance . If you are not up to the tasks, please don't have them!!