don't make me be a grownup

Prairie Dawn and I jokingly have a mantra here at the Library that goes, "Don't make me be a grownup." This line basically means I can be cool and we can have fun, but don't do or say anything that's going to make me have to put on my grownup pants and say or do something grownup-y.

I had to put on my grownup pants today with my staff. Ugh. I happened to be at the desk doing something when a patron came up to check-in/check-out materials, so I gladly did it while my staff finished some conversation in the work room. Then the conversation turned to politics. Hey, I get that I live in the conservative part of Ohio, and I'm in the minority being a Democrat here, but no one knows that--you know why? I don't talk politics at work because A. you never know where others lie politically and B. it's not cool to talk politics at work. And they weren't shy about loud-enough-so-the-patron-and-I-could-hear-them-at-the-desk-discussing their dislike of Obama and the Democratic party. Not. Cool.

So, after the patron was gone I called everyone into the work room and said, "I don't want you guys discussing politics back here unless you can contain your comments to a whisper because patrons shouldn't be able to hear that conversation at the desk because A. you need to respect that patrons might not agree with what you have to say and B. we're a public entity that serves the public, so we don't need to share your opinions with the taxpayers.

I know they're pissed with me, but guess what, I'm the boss and this building is my baby. And YOU are the ones who made me put my grownup pants on today.