A reader just tagged me with a meme that requires me to honestly reveal 10 things. About myself. So in no particular order, here goes:
1. The older I get, the more selfish I get. I feel like I’ve reverted back to the Id stage of infancy. At one time, I was a very thoughtful and considerate person but as time’s gone on… I dunno.
2. I wasn’t as nice a person as I think I was.
3. Lately I’ve been reading every book written by a blogger that I can get my hands on. I’ve got dreams, people. I want to see what they’re doing right.
4. I want to see what they’re doing wrong.
5. I love getting drunk. I don’t do it nearly as often as I should. But maybe that’s what makes it so great.
6. I was NOT prepared for the commitment required to raise kids. It’s like it’s some sort of evil society norm that mothers don’t share their battle stories with not-yet-mothers. THIS HAS TO STOP. We need to be prepared.
7. I always keep snacks in the car to give to beggars at traffic lights. I can’t seem to give them cash, but I figure this way, at least I could make sure they have a snack.
7a. When I used to eat at Schwartz’s, I always used to have them brown bag my remaining rye bread (they serve it by the half-loaf with a smoked meat platter). I always gave it to the same guy who was standing right outside the door, panhandling. Imagine my surprise when years later I started my current job and discovered it was Ryan Larkin.
8. I often get sidetracked. In fact, I also like to milk a story or joke for all it’s worth. I think that’s an attention-getting device, but I’m not sure what’s behind the whole ‘easily distracted’ thing.
9. I hurt my son’s feelings tonight and I feel like a piece of shit about it. I was frustrated with his sister long after their bedtime, and when he called me in about his flashlight, I did not use a very nice tone of voice. He called me back up 1/2 hour later, crying, telling me I’d hurt his feelings. I apologized profusely and we talked about it. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a good parenting moment.
10. I hate asking other people to do things for me. I don’t know why. There are a myriad possible reasons. But whatever the case, even though the meme requires me to award 7 other bloggers* with this same task, I just can’t do it.
Thanks, Jeena. I hope I did you justice.
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*Funny that the WordPress spell check doesn’t recognize ‘bloggers’ as a word. Or ‘WordPress’ for that matter.
Nice
I like giving food instead of money to panhandlers too, it’s easiest when they’re sitting outside the grocery store, I give them something I’ve just bought like fruit or some small snacky package of something good. Usually I’m met with a smile and a thanks of appreciation. I don’t like to ask other people to do things for me either! Even though I love doing things for others! Hello, therapist…
As someone who had kids before all of her friends I will tell you that the childless friends are 0% interested in Mommy Hell stories. They also hate poop stories, nursing stories and anything that realistical resembles a birth story. And if they do listen they think the problem is you and if you could be as good a parent as they are going to be that wouldn’t happen. They don’t say it be you see it in their smug little smiles.
here here! You are absolutely right. You can’t tell people what they don’t want to hear.
I love these kinds of random lists. Made me think that what makes a good parent isn’t doing everything right, but doing everything thoughtfully. That way, when we mess up (as we all inevitably do), we can discuss it with our kids. Keeps the lines of communication open, invites them to question authority in a respectful way, teaches them to fess up and put pride aside when they make mistakes, shows there’s no shame in learning to do things better, invites constructive criticism, etc. Think of moments when you felt hard done by over the years — how much better would it have been if the perpetrators had come back to you to discuss the incident with an open mind and admit to their shortcomings? Who better to model this than mom or dad? No matter what you may think, you sound like wonderful mom.
Funny, when I got pregnant with my first I had someone who told me a lot of things about pregnancy that no one ever wants to talk about. I was really greatful, and it really caused me not to panic about anything. (not that i’m a panic type person anyway).
I passed this infomation on to some of my friends when they got pregnant, and they didn’t seem to appreciate it as much as I did. Perhaps the bluntness of it all was overwhelming.
Oh and FYI – for anyone out there. Don’t ask me if labor hurts unless you really want to know!! (it’s called labor for a reason). Didn’t stop me from having 3 kids though….
LOL re: the getting sidetracked one.
I’m a great believer in nature! Mother nature to be exact. If people who don’t have children yet would listen to the stories of people who do have children, that would end propagation. Its the same reason that teenagers know everything. If they didn’t have that confidence they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere. Same reason that babies are so cute. It makes you want one, regardless of what anyone says. Its one of nature’s little tricks.
Mom
As I get older I have discovered that I like getting drunk or at least “feeling good” too. What is that all about? Do you think we have a problem? I find if I drink a couple of glasses on my home made wine before dinner, on an empty stomach (is my stomach EVER empty), I enjoy the buzz I feel. It’s addictive. It’s not good for the waist line because you also lose your inhibitions and any shreds of self-restraint and then eat too much.