Mom Blog: Lessons Against The &Ldquo;norm”
As the young mother of two small children, I’ve searched frantically for a voice in the blogging world that matched mine. With none as honest and open as I’d like them to be, I’ve decided to create my own blog for moms who just want to know they’re not alone.
Read more: http://beyondjane.com/family/motherhood/mom-blog-two-under-two/#ixzz1PqVDf2B0.
Lessons Against the “Norm”
Baby Day 24
Yesterday was Father’s Day, which means my whole paternal family got together to “celebrate”. Honestly, it’s never much of a celebration when that side is under one roof. I struggled with the idea of not going at all, but anything and everything we do is critiqued, so I figured I’d make it easier on myself for Christmastime and just show up. After realizing that I didn’t have a Father’s Day card for my dad yet, I rushed out of the house with Josh struggling to get the kids out the door (and probably a bit confused as to why I was so stressed). We ended up getting to my grandparents’ town an hour early (heaven forbid we be a bit late), and I drove around looking for a store that might sell cards. Finally we settled for Walmart… as did everyone else who had forgotten to pre-shop. I rushed into the card section and came to a screeching halt. There were no more Father’s Day cards. Unless I wanted something in Spanish or for an uncle, I was S.O.L. I grabbed a card that didn’t seem to be marked for any particular family member or occasion, opened it to a loud “Celebrate good times, common!” and figured that was good enough. I jetted back to the car (by this time we had under 10 minutes to get there), picked up the box of Good and Plenty’s I’d grabbed at a previous store, and started writing a message about what a great dad and grandfather my daddy was. I re-read the card and froze: there was a slice of birthday cake and a party hat on the front behind the words “Celebrating YOU!” So, I flipped it back open, scribbled a quick disclaimer, and sealed it up. What did I write? “P.S. Ayden picked out your card.” Sneaky? Yes. Shady? Probably. Did it work? You bet.
Lesson: Father’s Day cards don’t have to say anything about Dad- they can actually be birthday cards- as long as they’re heartfelt and you pick a card with a catchy tune. Pinning it on the kid helps, too, and actually lightened the mood. It’s also a good idea to deliver the card when everyone is busy doing other things, so there’s not that much attention on you. In that family, avoiding controversy is the first step towards getting out of judgment. Even if it was just a card, I figured I’d rather be safe than have to explain myself over and over again.
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