Please people, when you take your kids bowling make sure you teach them the, basically only, etiquette rule; wait for people next to you.

I took Kyla bowling yesterday, and after a few minutes a woman with 5 kids (seemed in ages 10-12 or so) came next to us. No common sense, no etiquette, and simply no care that we were there at all. You could be in the middle of a throw, and BAM they come running up. Kyla and I aren't pro bowlers, but it's very distracting when all of a sudden you have a blob 3 feet from you as your about to release the ball. We have the "right of way", and I've been teaching Kyla to respect the people in the two lanes around us and their "right of way".

Now, if the kids were 4, it's not as big a deal. The parents should still pay attention, but things happen. These kids, however, were about 10 or 12. They didn't look retarded (and even retarded people can learn this basic rule of the lanes), and didn't appear to be either blind nor deaf. They just didn't care, and the parental unit there didn't either.

The mix was there... bad manners and inconsiderate people + me - Suzy to tell me to bite my tongue. I tell her "Do you mind asking the kids to wait their turns?" I simple request, certainly not out of bounds to ask. At first, she says "I've tried, but some kids are just slower than others." Well, that got me since she not once tried while she was there, and the kids didn't look retarded. So, I said "I've worked with mentally challenged people who know to do this." This is true, I have, and they did.

On my next frame, I'm getting ready to roll. Well, not just ready, I'm actually in motion. And what do I see? A blog going past my left eye again. I stop, and shake my head. Next thing I know, trailer-mom is in my ear "You shouldn't talk like that about other people's kids." I turn and say "Don't lecture me about kids, my 9 year old understands how to be considerate. You've obviously failed to understand or teach manners."

Well, some words went back and forth, yet her wit was not sharp enough and she was battling the wrong man. I think what finally shut her up was "When you go back to the trailer, you can think about how a bowling alley and NASCAR are different sports and have different etiquette." Not a peep from her after that.

I did speak to the guy at the front desk. The first guy didn't seem to care. However, I think he thought I was talking about the little little kids two lanes over. But, another guy knew who I was talking about, and gave us a free game.

Don't get me wrong, we still have a great time. I didn't let it ruin our time. But, having a little courtesy isn't too much to ask. So please, parents, when you take your kids to the bowling alley, have some respect for those next to you. They are there to bowl and have fun, and you have no right to mess with their games. Bowling aint free.