People are pricks.

Amen, brutha.

But.

I'm going to have to tell you what I think the real solution is going to be.

Get tougher.

I know its not the sensitive thing to say. But your wife, who sounds like a very sensitive, caring person, is in a position and job that will eat you alive if she lets it.

She especially, and you, too, will have to either learn to deal with that (and that may well cause her to become less caring, less sensitive to her clients, as you can probably see in other people/is the sterotype), or get out.

I'm *not* trying to excuse this asswipe's behavior. But the very fact that he's (and his kid) there probably says something about his judgement ability(ies). I *am* saying that its not unexpected, and it won't be the last time.

You prefaced it with the kind of people you sterotype as being there (and I'm sure that not *all* of them are like that, but I understand the point). Well, yeah. That's the kind of people who are there.

If you go into a place/job/career where you'll run into a lot of people like that, you'll run into that kind of abuse.

And you've got to be able to deal with it. I can't speak for her supervisor, but I'll bet whoever gets him next will want to dump him as well. Or the person who replaces him might be just as bad. What do you do then?

She's in a position where she's going to see the dregs of society. She's there to help, best she can - well, this is what she'll have to do.

If she can't do it - and hell, I don't think I could - then its not the place for her.

Is that cynical? Yeah. Sad? Yeah.

But what do you expect? I've got a friend who wants to be a pedetrician. But she's can't handle stress/pressure. Her senior year of high school had her almost breaking down. She had to drop out of college a few weeks in as the first assignments came due. She can't handle conflict, and has lots of trouble making a decision.

But she wants to be a pediatrician... and doesn't see the impending problem there (Stress? Naw, they don't have ANY).

I've not been able to tell her what you're probably inferring from that. I don't know how. (Cause as we all know, that's kind of a high-stress, demanding of quick decisions professions, at times.) So I can hope that she does find a way to deal with it, if she's set on doing that.

I don't mean to sound heartless to you, or your wife. I say this as someone who could not deal with people who are as you describe, because I cannot tolerate people who have no lower limit to sink to, and who will bilk/ride/scam/scum the system for everything its worth. As someone who has to cheer from the sideline as people like your wife go in and do the things I can't, with the kids, trying to help, in what most likely is a futile attempt - and knowing it going in.

But I am pretty sure this won't be the last time she deals with someone like that, and the only/best way I know to deal with it, is to not be upset by it - somehow. She'll have to figure that out. Or not be so upset she can't get the job done - and disprove to the kid the father's opinion, with facts.

I respect that that puts her in an uncomfortable situation. But what is the alternative? Who will deal with *that* kid (and his father). What of the next one?

Sorry to say that, I'm sure it won't go over well.....

Addison