What do you notice from the ringside seat?

Why wear flip-flops on a nature trail?

Summer is upon us, another school year come and gone. It zoomed by like a day at an amusement park; ups and downs of defeat and disappointment, dizzying days of strep throat and bronchitis, warped illusions sometimes reflecting false intentions. Even though some rides were better than others, overall the year was good. The kids had caring, challenging teachers and excelled, which is the greatest adrenaline high of all.

Everyday I waited in the carpool line for my children's release from school. I wanted to be near the front, so I waited quite a while. I used the cherished time to read, write, work crossword puzzles and catch up with friends on the phone. I also witnessed some bizarre behavior (great fodder for poetry). Here are some of the highlights:

1. Cheaters (and they wonder why their children get in trouble all the time). They are like weasels who cut to the front of the line. They show up minutes before the bell and park wherever. Some park across the street and jaywalk, even though the principal has forbidden that. Others pull their children out before the final bell. I often wonder where their entitlement comes from.

2. Exhibitionists. They show up in their shorter than short shorts, jogging bras smiling with bleached white teeth that contrasts well against their tanned skin. What an example they are setting for the children who have to follow the dress code.

3. Social butterflies. They gather at cars or huddle in groups like high school cliques at lunchtime. Their preschoolers run amok, sneak sips out of whatever is in that insulated cup and smile. They run into the building and are sent back out without their chatty caretaker's knowledge.

4. Just plain old jerks. They hold up the line or refuse to move lest their grandchildren might not be able to find them. Some even yell at teachers who try to move traffic along, then shake their heads when they finally leave.

5. Misfortunes. Poor parents who come back from field trips looking as if they stepped off Disney World's Tower of Terror. They started out fresh all dressed in their sundresses and flip-flops, with French manicured toenails on show. Then they come back sunburned and covered in bug bites. Did they not get the memo to wear sneakers for the hike through the woods?

I really could go on and on, but I would rather hear from you. What, if any, type of bizarre behavior have you observed? It could be at the mall, on vacation, or wherever you want it to be. I will highlight the most unusual one on an upcoming post.