My daughters and stepdaughters have found various ways to make me laugh over the years. Sometimes it's on purpose and sometimes not. Unfortunately for them, the "not" moments are usually the times my husband and I laugh the most. Some people may say it's some sort of 'Parental Sin' to behave in this manner. I prefer to think of it as "Sanity Maintenance" which is a HUGE chapter in "Parenting - 101". Anyway, I have a ton of gems to share but will just start with one. My hope is that they make others chuckle as well and, let's face it, help relieve a little of the guilt I feel about laughing 'at' my kids.
This particular instance took place when we had invited my Father and Brother over to dinner one evening. Our house at the time had an open concept where the Dining Room and Living Room were two distinct sections of a large space. My youngest daughter (who was perhaps seven or eight at the time) wasn't feeling well and, rather than have her infect everyone at the dinner table, I set her up with a comfy spot on the couch in the Living Room. That way, she could still participate in conversation and not feel as isolated as she would have in her bedroom.
In our home and family, there is no subject safe from dinner conversation. We discuss health issues and bodily functions on a regular basis and in great detail. It matters not if you are eating Spaghetti when we decide it's a good time to discuss the dog's roundworm issues. Just as no subject is safe, no species is safe either. On this particular evening, we were discussing the Praying Mantis we had seen in the back yard. We talked about how rare it is to have a sighting and how they're a little creepy if you look at them up close.
To add to the conversation, I said something about their mating rituals being a bit extreme. Somewhere I had heard that the female bites the head off of the male with whom she has just mated. Now, I'm sure there are marriages out there where at least one member of the couple thinks they may have been better off as a Praying Mantis but I would like to state, very thankfully, that is not the case for my husband and me. Moving on...
My youngest daughter had been participating in the conversation but upon hearing that little tidbit, she grew uncharacteristically quiet. Now, I don't know if any of your kids are like this but when this child grows quiet, one of two things is happening. One - she has fallen asleep or Two - she's processing. I like to think that it's because I'm her Mom that I can actually feel it when she's considering a bit of information. I love that feeling because I also know that a pointed and relevant question is forthcoming. This is not something I outwardly acknowledge when it happens because the question may come then, or it may show up six months later but make no mistake, it comes without fail.
She hadn't been quiet for very long after discussing the Praying Mantis and it's mating habits when the question came...... "What if they're Lesbians?"
Now, I'm sure there are parents out there who would take the high road and just answer the question as best they could. Maybe something along the lines of Lesbians being technically unable to reproduce. Well, I'm not one of those parents and neither is my husband. Don't get me wrong, we get back around to answering questions eventually but, in our home, humor comes first and I wouldn't change that for anything!
So what did we do? We laughed. We laughed loud and long. My Dad had taken his glasses off, wheezing to catch his breath while he wiped the tears from his eyes. My husband, quite literally, fell on the floor while I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom or I'd have peed my pants.
No doubt about it, dinner time at our house is scary territory if you don't have a good sense of humor!
Perhaps, tonight, I'll poll the family to see what their favorite funny moments have been and I'll be back with another story. Here's hoping you enjoyed this one!
No comments:
Post a Comment