Current/Recent Reading List

06 September 2006

The Thing What Lurks

I’m not going to steal the brilliant,lovely one’s thunder on blogging about the whole “in-law all up in the house” deal we’ve had going for the last 12 days. I’m sure her good word is coming, and soon. The short explanation is that due to a Byzantine phase-in period for kindergarteners in our county, we’ve needed full-time, and free, child-care for the past couple of weeks. Finally we are at the end of that difficult period, and mom-in-law has safely returned home (love you, mom-in-law. I swear.).

But I can’t let this pass without mention of that thing. What thing, you ask? Oh, come on – you know it. It’s that thing what lurks between mothers and daughters. It’s the thing that causes wives to gently, but rapidly, close the door and demand - in barely contained whisper voice – that you let her vent NOW!, no matter that you are deeply concentrating on your favorite, all-important, sports blogs. It’s the thing that causes those brief, but harrowing mom/daughter flare-ups in the kitchen – the ones that make you wonder what hell-beast would soon spring up through the floorboards if things went much further. It’s the thing that makes a man happy to take his son to the park on Labor Day morning and ride bikes in 85 degree heat, then come home and gleefully mow the yard as the thermometer inches to 90. Balmy, balmy 90.

Are you feeling me? Yeah, I thought so. If only someone could tell me exactly what that thing is.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember this scene being played out in the TV series "Mad About You". In the kitchen venting scene Helen Hunt shreiks to Paul Reiser "How does she know how to push ALL my buttons?!" He sagely replies "Because she installed them." It's like that.

School Master P said...

I suppose there are father/son or mother/son buttons as well, but they usually pale in comparison, don't they?

Anonymous said...

Oh, there are mother/son buttons. Indeed there are. Yep. You bet... Pale in comparison? NO THEY DO NOT!!!! NOOOOOO!!

Ahem. Sorry. Father/son buttons usually involve fishing, and are not generally a problem.