The Caveman and the College Girl

My daughter is a junior in college. She’s studying anthropology.

I’m having almost as much fun with her college years as I had with my own.

She called a while back with this story.

There she was, minding her own business, walking to class listening to Steve Miller on her headset. As she reached to open the one of the doors to her class building, a boy who had just passed her going the other way, stepped back, and opened the other door. She ignored him and continued on her way.

And then, the young gentleman yelled at her for not going through his door.

Which switched her attention from Steve Miller to the world happening around her. She looked at the boy, said, "Ok, fine," and went to class.

Later she called her Dear Old Mother and said,

“I don't need some caveman to open the door for me.”

“I am not a helpless little woman.”

D.O.M. says, but dear, he's not implying you're helpless. He's showing you he has manners.

To which she replied, "I can open my own damn door."

And I said, listen up, Gloria Steinem. When someone opens the door for you, they're not indicating anything negative about yourself. They're just offering evidence of manners and in this sad, angry and often crappy world, a few manners goes a long way.

She muttered something along the lines of D.O.M. might be partially right about some minuscule element in the above scenario.

And I said, that the guy yelled at you for not using the door he opened, well, that's just weird.

To which she replied, "They're all psychos, Mom."

Right. Like that was what I wanted to hear.

Oddly though, if an actual Neanderthal had opened the door for her, she would have brought him home to tea. Budding anthropologist that she is; Neanderthal man is her favorite. She had bumper stickers made that read:

Neanderthals are people too

She emailed pictures to me of some bone that, according to new thinking, proves Neanderthals could speak.

Whether or not they said, thank-you, when someone opened the door for them is a matter still under study.