I miss the A to Z challenge - when all else failed, I had a LETTER to start a post...since yesterday I've been trying to find a thread of something to write about. But all I seem to have is floaters - ideas pop in and out and nothing really coalesceses.
My niece has her first prom tomorrow night. I am planning to go to see the Grand March. She is going with a guy who liked her but she didn't like him in that way. But since they agreed to go together, he has apparently found someone else and that girl and her date will sit with them at dinner ... I'm very curious to hear how that all plays out. But my niece also has a new guy that she does like in that way, and though he is not going to prom, he will be at the after prom lock in event. Musical dates anyone? Luckily, they are all friends, so hopefully it will be fine with no teenage drama attached. I do not miss high school nor do I look forward to re-living this drama in a few years when my girls get there.
Speaking of my 9 year old who is quickly moving into the "tween" behaviors. She tends to growl at me now, rather than speak. It seems that I get about 30-60 minutes of normal behavior per day and after that she just growls and whines until my head spins around and I consider spewing the verbal equivalent of pea soup. I am not a fan of being growled at, as it turns out, and am struggling with ignoring it. The other night I played the "if you're going to be a jerk to me, then I'll be a jerk to you" card, refused to read Harry Potter with her at bedtime, and told her to crabby her own self to sleep. I think she ended up reading for a while by herself and I know I heard some more whining and carrying on after I shut her door, but she stayed in there and was asleep by 9p. I am working hard not to yell but it is HARD.
We are going to a hog roast at a friend's ranch tomorrow, in celebration of his wife's birthday. I have been surprised at my reaction to his facebook post yesterday about getting the pig - the live pig - in preparation. There was even a photo of the live pig in its pen. It's not like I don't know where meat comes from, after all. I might be a town kid, but I am at least aware of what happens on farms. But I couldn't stop my lip from curling. This feeling was not helped by logging on to facebook this morning and seeing that he then posted a photo of said pig - now dead - hanging and ready for butchering I guess. I had a moment of panic that he was going to have a series of photos of the process, but thankfully it was just the one. Now my lip is curling and my nose is wrinkling up and I keep wondering if the roasted pork will smell good enough tomorrow to wipe that photo out of my mind? Please know, the issue with all this (for me) is not the butchering piece in any way - it's seeing live pig/dead pig on facebook. It's much the same as how I feel about all the hunting enthusiasts - go, have a good time, be safe and ethical, but I really don't want to see your dead critters. I have no idea why it is thrilling or fun or exciting or even satisfying to see an animal moving around in it's daily life and then killing it, though I accept that it is a reality. It is a piece of people I don't understand and never will, and so I try not to think about it.
This post definitely gets a "random" label today!
I miss the A to Z challenge too for that very same reason. I liked having the letter on which to hang thoughts.
ReplyDeleteRe: 9 years old - oh yes, it is just the beginning..... but you will deal with it just fine. Just remember: YOU are in charge. YOU are the parent. Treat her respectfully and expect that treatment in return. If not, she goes somewhere until she can treat you with respect. At least that's what we did.... It's okay to be mad. It's not okay to be mean.