Santa Claus is watching -- I hope!

Hi neighbors. The time is fast approaching when those little reindeer feet prance around on our rooftops, displacing shingles and kicking off attic fan covers.

Soon Santa will dispense chimney soot all over our front rooms, eat cookies, drink milk and leave soot-covered colorful gifts strung around the tree.

Yes, it will soon be Christmas. The best thing about Christmas is getting to remind people (particularly children) that Santa knows if they are naughty or nice: and even if there are presents under the tree now -- if he changes his mind about their behavior -- he will pick their presents up on Christmas Eve and take them to some other, more deserving, boy or girl. When I was younger, a proud mother of my own children, I often saw myself as retiring to become the gentle grandmother known all around the block as the baker of cookies, provider of a safe house after school for latch-key students, and as an all-around sweet old woman.

Now that I am officially old enough for the AARP and can be called both retired and a grandmother; I have rethought that retirement scenario.

My children are grown adults with their own families now. Even my granddaughter is a teenager and a reasonable child. She is well mannered and respectful of her elders. She sometimes acts like a teenager but she carries that with some grace and her moods are quickly self-calmed.

Neither of my children have ever hit me, spit on me, kicked me in a cafe booth or told me they wished I would just go away. I don't think it ever occurred to them to do so. It never occurred to me to behave so towards my parents.

I always treated my children with respect and expected them to do the same; to me and to others in our society. I will admit that my parenting skills were not perfect, my children were not perfect and society as a whole is not perfect. However, my children were never incarcerated, don't have a court record, and have never been on probation. I am proud to say that -- and hope I can continue to say that throughout my lifetime. We never know what's coming around the next bend; but I will continue to trust my children to do the right thing.

I wonder what the next generation will be like; and how school teachers will be able to handle the children today's preschoolers will become.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and seen a toddler standing on the bench of a booth next to their seated parent? If another child or adult is present the toddler will constantly whine, shout for their mother; and finally in desperation about their parent's lack of attention to them and only them; will hit their parent, grab their cell phone, pull their hair and if all else fails, spill water on the table.

The parents will do as they always do, and as they obviously think is the socially correct thing to do; ignore the child, and clean up the mess while still trying to talk to whoever else is there. Their strategy is to allow the child to do as they will and eventually wear themselves out, calm down and shut up.

From what I've observed, that doesn't happen within an hour's time frame.

Once the food comes, the child will refuse their own, reach into their parent's plates, their sibling's plates, or any other guest's at the table plates for food. Taking one or two bites they will throw the food back into any plate they choose.

Any attempts by the other people at the table to encourage the child to at least say 'Please" before stealing food is met with a haughty "I don't have to. It's MINE!" More likely than not, these other diners will have finger food thrown in their faces.

Perhaps I shouldn't complain. However, when I go out for a simple sandwich, I expect a little peace and quiet while I eat. Not a battle royal in another booth! I, too, am a paying customer, the same as the delinquent parent and their burgeoning sociopathic child.

Yes, I am old. Yes, I am a grumpy old woman with no leniency towards misbehaving children in public places and their unwise parents. My only hope is a firm belief in Santa Claus and a firm thankfulness that America is a world leader in coal production.

Keep your eyes open Santa, and your Naughty and Nice lists updated! You are apparently our only disciplinarian when dealing with loud, arrogant, bossy and mean spirited preschoolers!