Wednesday, October 7, 2009

What Would You Do?

So you're at church. You're standing there, singing along to the hymns, trying to focus on readings you can barely hear because the sound system in the church is just horrible and you notice the teen girl in front of you, a complete stranger, still has the long rectangular size sticker on her new pants, highlighting the back of her thigh (size 3, long).

The teen sisters sitting a few seats down notice and giggle but don't say anything to the girl. You know eventually the girl is going to have to walk down to the front of the church for communion...where perhaps dozens of people will notice that sticker on her white pants.

What do you do? Do you tell her and risk embarrassing her? Or do you mind your own business and figure she'll find the sticker eventually?

Me? I went through the whole "Would I want someone to tell me?" thing in my head. Yes. Yes, I'd want someone to point out that I had an enormous sticker on the back of my thigh. And in the same vein, I also want to know when there's something in my teeth, when my tag is sticking out of my shirt, and when I may have sat in something unknowingly (just for future reference, should these things ever happen when I'm around you).

So, I waited until the part of Mass where we shake hands with neighbors and whispered to her about the sticker. And you know what? She was really grateful. I would have been too.

What would you have done?


  1. I would have done the same thing.

    Have a good Wednesday. The week is almost over, yeah!

  2. Exactly the same thing - I never let anyone walk around with stuff on their person that just doesn't belong. I think the fact you saw the other two teens giggling over it prompted you even more to tell the girl. I would have wanted someone's mom to do the same for my daugther - and know she would have appreciated it, as well.

  3. I would have told her and then I would have slapped her for being a size 3 when I, 18 months post-baby, am still struggling to get back to my former size.

  4. If we can't point and laugh at others, then the terrorists have won.