Last night I traveled into Washington DC to a funeral for a family friend. I sat in the car with my parents’ driving and another family friend in the back with me. I hadn’t been sure whether I would make it last night but really wanted to be there for our friend’s family and mine. And I decided I could use some being a kid time in the back seat of my parents car being driven somewhere (like the old times) even if it was to a funeral. I thought I wouldn’t be a great conversationalist being tired from 3 days straight with the kids (no grandmas to the rescue) and being 12 weeks pregnant but it wasn’t me who was doing the talking, it was the family friend sitting next to me. She being in her 50’s was telling about her times 25 years ago with her two boys. She said things I was DYING to hear. “Oh,” she said, “emotions came out of me that I didn’t even know I had. I couldn’t believe the thoughts I was having. Sometimes the only reason I thought that I hadn’t slapped my kid was my left hand holding back my right. They can push buttons you didn’t even know you have. Don’t worry Beth, you are a good mother, even good mothers have bad thoughts. Even good mothers don’t always like their kids all of the time.” And all of this from a devoted Catholic (my whole family is Roman Catholic, the”extra guilt” kind, as well as most of my parents’ friends) and family friend. God Bless YOU!
Lived In
I’ve been reading my dear friend and editor, Jennifer Niesslein’s, Practically Perfect In Every Way. Her first chapter deals with organizing her house. And it may be that I have been a guest in her house many, many times but I never felt like one. And let’s say, this is a good thing. This weekend we hosted Jamie’s 4th birthday party and I frantically cleaned my house. I remember my mother saying that really it’s only to fool those who are coming into thinking you live clutter free when we all know the piles are somewhere….toppling dangerously in the pantry. What I love about Jennifer’s house (that I have yet to see duplicated quite right in other friend’s homes) is that, it’s like mine, it looks lived in. I heard someone say once, that if you have kids, your house should look like they live there too. Cheers to that! See you tomorrow night Jenny!
