The “Ma’am” Situation

    I realize that I've been out of high school for a couple of years and I'm twenty-one now instead of eighteen but why do kids have to call me Ma'am?!

    I don't feel as bad when I'm in a position of authority, like when I was a lifeguard at the public pool. It's only logical that because I have the say-so around the area that they'd call me ma'am or miss or whatever kids are using these days.

    I walked out of my house the other evening to head out with my Dad into town to pay the phone bill. I walked around to the front of my car and a few kids, probably freshmen in high school, were walking by at the same time I was heading towards my car. There was one boy who looked slightly older than the rest and he was the one that looked at me and said, "Good afternoon, uh, evening, Ma'am."

    I simply looked at him with a small smile and nodded. Then I got in my car and I started it up and pulled out. As I drove to pick my dad up, I couldn't help but think, When the hell did I become a ma'am? It's just one of those things that you begin to notice. That's because I apparently look young for my age! I'm carded everywhere I go. I buy a drink at Chili's and they card me. I can't even walk into a liquor store without the people behind the counter stopping me first and asking me for my ID. But I guess I've reached that age where I look young to older people and older to younger people.

 

-StephAnnDLC