Holding doors–a rant (that’s your warning)

Several semesters ago I was taking a class entitled “Consumer Health.”  To this day I’m still not sure how it applied to my major of Family Life but that’s beside the point. One day I was out and about on campus when I was headed into the SWKT. I was no more than 10 feet from grabbing the door handle when a snooty girl raced around me, cut me off, opened the door and then proceeded to let it shut immediately behind her. Never before on BYU campus had I experienced someone who had no idea how to hold a door or even give it a little push for the person behind them. This situation was particularly rude since she clearly knew I was right behind her as she passed me.

Later that day I headed to my Consumer Health class where we were to have a guest speaker.  Yep, you guessed it. It was that same snooty girl who has no common courtesy.  Since attendance was taken at every class and it was a small class, I didn’t have much choice but to sit an grind my teach through her presentation about witch doctors. Ug.

Since that day, I have shared that experience whenever the subject seems to turn to being polite, manors, kindness, courtesy, etc. Now, I have another one to add to my list as I’ve had a more recent door holding experience.

Several weeks ago my parents, Devin, Katelyn and I went out to Chilies for dinner. Katelyn and I waited in the car until our name was called to be seated (after the more than double the estimated time waiting, I might add). My mom and I were just outside the door with me carrying Katelyn in her car seat, as we started to make our way through the ridiculous Friday night crowd. My mom opened the first door as another woman was a few feet away, heading inside as well. My mom was holding the door for me but was on the inside of the outward swinging door when this other lady decided to cut me off and crowd in front of me.  This made it so my mom couldn’t continue to hold the door so I had to struggle to hold onto Katelyn and keep the door open and try to get through.  This lovely lady then proceed to the second set of doors where she simply opened it, went through, and let it close behind her. Both my mom and I were shocked.

Well, let me just tell you she messed with the wrong person.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had recently given birth, was still recovering from a c-section, was hungry, had been waiting to eat for more than an hour (waiting time was “35 minutes”), etc. Or maybe it was that at that moment I decided not to take crap from people.

So I ran up behind her and said, “excuse me, but the polite thing to do is to hold the door for someone who clearly has their hands full.”  Perhaps needless to say, I wasn’t very polite in telling her how to be polite. I certainly didn’t care. I felt something needed to be said.

Her response? “Oh, but we’re already on the list. Don’t worry.”

Clearly, she didn’t understand what I was saying. Perhaps the translation from English from my mouth to English in her head went from “the polite thing to do….” to “you cut us off from getting on the list first.”

Seriously, what are people thinking?

2 thoughts to “Holding doors–a rant (that’s your warning)”

  1. I love that you said something to her. I can imagine that soon after having Allie I would have done something similar. lol… I have gone to the post office a few times with Allie in her carseat and holding either one big box or two awkward ones, and it has amazed me how people have not helped with with the three sets of doors. They haven’t necessarily ran in front of me, but they will either be just a little ahead of me, see me, and then not help or just barely be leaving and see me and not help… I just wonder what has happened to manners…. Anyway, I love the post. lol

  2. Wow- that is really just wow…especially in Provo where there are tons of moms and people should know about these things. Dev should have just decked her- I am actually really surprised he didn’t just take her out- it would be just like him to do that…=)

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