Why you gotta be like that?

I went to mow Lorna's lawn the other day. The past couple Wednesday nights I've been mowing Lorna's lawn on Wednesday evenings before moving onto one of our options. Lorna, who is elderly and disabled, lives in a trailer park and right across from her spot is a swing set, so I'd bring my two older sons to play while cutting the grass. Since we were out of town most of last week, I had to mow her lawn during the day. I brought the boys, sent them to play, and no sooner then I had unloaded my mower did the trailer park manager, a grumpy older man we'll call Grouchy, come and inform me of the policy that children couldn't play in the part without adult supervision. To be fair to Grouchy, the policy is clearly stated on a sign right by the park. I'm typically a rule follower, but I had to barter with Grouchy a bit on this. I explained that I'd be right across the street (literally, right across it), that the boys would be in my sight the entire time, and that we were here for a short time so that I could mow Lorna's lawn. Grouchy didn't bite. He explained that unattended children were responsible for over $1200 damage to the play set. As much as I wanted to contest that piece of information (really, $1200?!? With that kind of damage, this playset shouldn't be operational, except that it was in fine condition), but I stuck to "I am just across the street, I can see the boys, and I am helping someone out". Grouchy also stuck to his script and said no. I muttered "well, that's too bad" and beckoned the boys to follow me across the street. Grouchy (wisely) went inside so he couldn't hear the boys wailing and pleading with their dad to stay at the play set. In the end, Lorna ended up watching the boys while I mowed. But grouchy stuck with me the whole day, and my only thought was "why you gotta be like that?". Judging by how quick he pounced on us, there was nothing else going on in trailer park rentals to do- no other maitenance issues, no delinquent rent, no tenant complaints, the item of the day was insuring that a 6 and 4 year old didn't cause thousands of dollars a damage from going down a slide.

I don't know why Grouchy felt led to act that way. And perhaps I am in the wrong (still) for feeling how I feel (I did buck the policy after all). But I kind of would think that a manager would welcome someone hellping to maintain one of his tenant's properties, not make it more difficult. And yet I also wonder about when I too rigidly stick to policy, when I too fail to factor in human considerations, and when I too make it more difficult for someone to do something.