Going Postal

I went to the Post Office today to renew the kid’s passports.  I had all the forms filled-out beforehand.  I had new passport photos plus the old passports with me.  I brought the kids along, as required, plus my wife.  (If you're getting passports for minor children, both parents must be present).  The guy at the counter glanced at it all and said "you need their birth certificates."  I asked "why do I need their birth certificates when I have their old passports?"  "Because that's the rule for kids", he said.  So I drove all the way home, retrieved the birth certificates, and headed back to the Post Office.  When I got to the counter, the dude I had dealt with earlier was nowhere to be found (undoubtedly on one of his many daily 2-hour breaks), so I presented all my documentation to the lady.  She looked it all over and said "you don't need these birth certificates since you have their old passports."  When I told her I had just driven home to retrieve said birth certificates because the guy who waited on me earlier said they were required, she said "he should know better than that."  I think they make this stuff up as they go along.