Sunday, January 29, 2006

Scalzi's Weekend Assignment For a Change

I haven't felt like doing one of these for a long time. I'm not sure why I'm doing it now. Maybe it's the last of my hormones kicking in.

Weekend Assignment #96: "For ladies: Name an incident when you thought: '"OMG I AM my mother! For guys: Same with your father!"


Actually I wish I were more like my mother, who died when I was 23. She did almost everything well. Valedictorian in high school. Horsewoman. Tennis player. Head nurse. Great cook. Fabulous gardener, etc., etc.

Her halo never got tarnished with me. She didn't have time to become annoying with year after year of making me listen to her pet phrases. 


However, there was one phrase she used that I found myself repeating often to my children as they grew up. Instead of saying something they were doing or speaking was wrong or bad, I would tell my darling daughters, "That's inappropriate." As the years passed and I knew I was starting to sound more and more like my mother, my kids started to pre-empt me. As soon as they had committed some kind of infraction, they would stop and look in my direction, roll their eyes and sigh,"We know, Mom, that's inappropriate."


I just know when they have kids they'll be saying it, too.


Extra credit:
What did your parents do when you told them about it?

My mom died before I had children. But somewhere, she's probably smiling.

My father was a different story. After my mother died my dad remarried and began to say terrible things about her. It was bizaare. It was like they'd been divorced. So I finally said, "We have different memories of her, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about her in front of me."  Needless to say, I never shared any of my thoughts about her with him. Except to tell him that he was a jerk for treating her memory so badly.

Well, that was fun.  I wonder what next week's assignment will be.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Family dynamics are so much fun, aren't they?

xoxo

Anonymous said...

You should have always told him "That is innappropriate" and annoyed the heck out of him! HA!

Anonymous said...

Wow..how old were you when your mom died then? What did she die from? I'm so sorry and I feel very lucky. I'll have to email my mom! :-)

Anonymous said...

I;m so sorry you lost your mom at a early age she missed out on experiencing a wonderful daughter...
donna In tEXAS

Anonymous said...

i don't think it would've worked for my mom.    INAPPROPRIATE was my middle name.

Anonymous said...

I'm very sorry to read about your mother. My mother died when I was 8 yrs old from stomach cancer. I do not have many memories of her. My father raised me alone and never remarried. He died 20 yrs later and always spoke of her like he had just seen her the day before and it was always with much love in his words. My husband died 6 yrs ago in an auto accident. It's really strange how people are so different about things. My stepson started talking bad about his father only after the minute he heard of his death. It caused a huge break up of family ties but I'm not sorry one bit. The things he says are lies. I was with my husband 30 yrs. He did many wonderful things for everyone his life touched and I'd rather have his son out of my life than to put up with his disrespect. I understand completely how you feel about your mother. I think I became my father through laughter, he laughed all the time and so do I.  

Anonymous said...

I say "That's inappropriate" all the time.  It works :)

It was really cute when I heard Ben say it one time to Nolan, reprimanding him in my absence.  LOL, at least I know someone is listening....
Anna

Anonymous said...

reminds me of that show "Supernanny"
I think that 's the one with Jojo
she's says "that is unacceptable"
in every episode
my mother lost her mother
when she was 6 years old
I'm glad my Mom is still here :)