Mufara's Beautiful Daughters...
Tonight, Ellie announced she was 'too tired to wait up for bedtime' and asked me to tuck her in. After all the nighttime regimin--brush/floss teeth....drink...potty....kiss Daddy.... hop in bed....I asked her if she wanted to read tonight. She said her eyes were 'too itchy to read' (her eyes kept closing involuntarily from exhaustion) so would I please read to her "Mufara's Beautiful Daughters", an African tale about 2 sisters who were beautiful, but one was rotton behind the father's back and kind to his face, and the other was kind and sweet to everyone all the time. Moral story....that I ended up reading to myself after the 2nd page. E had finally succumbed to the exhaution that had been coming for 3 lonnnng days and nights. I just had to know how it turned out! Great book by the way. When I was finished, I snuggled closer to Ellie just to smell her hair...kiss the bridge of her nose...and reflected on the day.
Oh...I forgot ....I'm an idiot. Let me back up just a bit.... Ellie ended up with a major ear infection on our vacation and I finally took her in to see the pediatrician--who proceeded to ask me why I waited so long to bring her in (was only 2 days). I told her that I don't like to rush to the doctor every time my kids have a problem---most problems work themselves out. She looked at me like I had horns..... so, I just said ..."Hey. I have 5 kids. If I came in here everytime one of them complained about having some sort of pain---I'd have to pop a tent in your waiting room to save me the gas and time on the commute". She didn't think that was so hilarious and so I just made small talk about how bad the ears were.... While we waited for Ellie's antibiotics at the pharmacy, I noticed a row of 5 girls, started around age 10 and the last was about 3. By the side of the around-10-year-old was a stroller with a little boy-about 18 mos. All well behaved, reading the "I spy" books....talking softly to each other. The boy wanted out of the stroller, so big sister drove him in little circles away from the group to entertain him. A few minutes their mom came in, carrying another girl who seemed about 5. I glance again towards the row of little girls and realize this mom has 6 daughters and her baby is the only boy. 7 kids. All seemingly under 10-ish. I admired the mother's great job in raising kids who could be left in the waiting room, without fear of it turning into WWIII--over who exactly had that book first, or who's turn it was to push the stroller. I was amazed at 6 heads of hair plus her own that she has to do everyday. I had intended to compliment this mom on a great job mothering them....
When out of my mouth came the dreaded words...
Words, that when said to me, start instant dialogue in my head about exactly how ignorant the speaker of the words must be.
"Are they all yours?"
She nods with the plastic "oh-here-we-go" smile. And, as if that wasn't ridiculous enough, I smile at her little boy who is a bit more fussy and wants to go home and say
"Boy, you have a lot of sisters".
::::crickets chirping:::::
But wait.... There's more....
As the mother is smiling at me....that same plastered smile I, myself, have worn when people point out the most moronic, I ask her if she is Catholic or Mormon (knowing full well she isn't Mormon because I would have seen her at church),
she replies "Neither". ::::chirp chirp--chirp chirp::::
Y'know...I often wondered why it is that people continue talking to me when they have such a large rather chewy shoe in their mouths...... but now I know..... People try to fix the dumb things they say, but saying something else that is dumber than before....not on purpose mind you. But alas, dumber it is. The mother busily helps the children collect their things, and I can see what she is thinking....."Dear Heavenly Father, help everyone cooperate so I can get me the heck out of this place before that Idiot asks me another embarrassing question and calls more attention to the fact that the whole world thinks I'm an irresponsible parent, who is singlehandedly over-populating the world".......
Poor thing.
I'm an idiot.
Reflection: I will keep my mouth shut when I have nothing intelligent to say I will not point out the obvious things that I hate to hear people say I will try harder to not look like the loony I did today.
Oh...I forgot ....I'm an idiot. Let me back up just a bit.... Ellie ended up with a major ear infection on our vacation and I finally took her in to see the pediatrician--who proceeded to ask me why I waited so long to bring her in (was only 2 days). I told her that I don't like to rush to the doctor every time my kids have a problem---most problems work themselves out. She looked at me like I had horns..... so, I just said ..."Hey. I have 5 kids. If I came in here everytime one of them complained about having some sort of pain---I'd have to pop a tent in your waiting room to save me the gas and time on the commute". She didn't think that was so hilarious and so I just made small talk about how bad the ears were.... While we waited for Ellie's antibiotics at the pharmacy, I noticed a row of 5 girls, started around age 10 and the last was about 3. By the side of the around-10-year-old was a stroller with a little boy-about 18 mos. All well behaved, reading the "I spy" books....talking softly to each other. The boy wanted out of the stroller, so big sister drove him in little circles away from the group to entertain him. A few minutes their mom came in, carrying another girl who seemed about 5. I glance again towards the row of little girls and realize this mom has 6 daughters and her baby is the only boy. 7 kids. All seemingly under 10-ish. I admired the mother's great job in raising kids who could be left in the waiting room, without fear of it turning into WWIII--over who exactly had that book first, or who's turn it was to push the stroller. I was amazed at 6 heads of hair plus her own that she has to do everyday. I had intended to compliment this mom on a great job mothering them....
When out of my mouth came the dreaded words...
Words, that when said to me, start instant dialogue in my head about exactly how ignorant the speaker of the words must be.
"Are they all yours?"
She nods with the plastic "oh-here-we-go" smile. And, as if that wasn't ridiculous enough, I smile at her little boy who is a bit more fussy and wants to go home and say
"Boy, you have a lot of sisters".
::::crickets chirping:::::
But wait.... There's more....
As the mother is smiling at me....that same plastered smile I, myself, have worn when people point out the most moronic, I ask her if she is Catholic or Mormon (knowing full well she isn't Mormon because I would have seen her at church),
she replies "Neither". ::::chirp chirp--chirp chirp::::
Y'know...I often wondered why it is that people continue talking to me when they have such a large rather chewy shoe in their mouths...... but now I know..... People try to fix the dumb things they say, but saying something else that is dumber than before....not on purpose mind you. But alas, dumber it is. The mother busily helps the children collect their things, and I can see what she is thinking....."Dear Heavenly Father, help everyone cooperate so I can get me the heck out of this place before that Idiot asks me another embarrassing question and calls more attention to the fact that the whole world thinks I'm an irresponsible parent, who is singlehandedly over-populating the world".......
Poor thing.
I'm an idiot.
Reflection: I will keep my mouth shut when I have nothing intelligent to say I will not point out the obvious things that I hate to hear people say I will try harder to not look like the loony I did today.
Comments