The following is an email exchange that occurred this afternoon.
Tom Wopat*: Can you change kids to children? Sounds more professional!
Me: You mean to tell me, we’re not auctioning off kids??
Tom Wopat: I cannot send to corporate email what I am thinking!
Me: It’s good to go.
Tom Wopat: Thank you! I found that rather demeaning.
Now here is where I’m at a loss. I have NO idea what was demeaning. The use of the word “kids” to refer to children? If that were the case, wouldn’t that be something demeaning to kids and not an adult? Or was it my crack about auctioning off kids? Maybe it’s a poor joke, but I fail to see how that could be contrived as demeaning to anyone. It’s a valid question. Maybe I was hoping to get some kids at a discount price and my dreams were just crushed**.

Now, I have had some serious filter issues today. I was told by a pharmacist that I was signing a statement to not use my son’s allergy medicine to make crystal meth, which I answered with “Oh, MAN!!” But see, the pharmacist chuckled. He didn’t claim to be demeaned.
I just refuse to apologize in this situation. I don’t see how I could possibly be in the wrong here. Well…maybe..but no!

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.
** Another inappropriate joke, of course.