Everyone all over the blogosphere is having these cute conversations with their kiddies (and, yes, Sue, I'm talking to you), and here - well, that sort of thing just doesn't happen. It's all, "Did you eat your carrots? How many? Eat another one." And then they whine. Or, I'll say, "Time to play outside. Go! Now!" and they go. Sometimes I vary it a bit by saying, "Get in the car! Hurry up!" or "Why didn't you go to the bathroom before?" My teenage daughter will occasionally initiate an interpersonal exchange by screaming, "I hate you!", which I guess has the potential to be meaningful; but I never know where to go with that, you know? Maybe I'm just not approaching this conversation thing correctly. Are there certain lines I should use for openers? I mean, aside from, "Sweetie, do you have something cute to say that I could put in my blog?" Just wondering.
I have Knit Night tonight. It's only my second one, and I still feel a little backward showing up with my pathetic attempt at making a sock. It's fiber show-and-tell night, which means....well, you tell me what it means. I don't really know. These people all seem to be yarn aficionados, while I'm still just picking up whatever crap I can get on sale at Michael's. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone show up with a live sheep.
I may be in over my head with this knitting thing. What with people speaking unintelligible KnitSpeak while wearing their hand-knitted Fair Isle sweaters at Knit Night, and knitting bloggers sending me tempting links for pricey yarns in all sorts of pretty colors (for all the world like dirty old men standing near a school yard saying, "Here, little girl, want some candy?"), the fast-paced world of today's knitting seems a far cry from when people were just trying to come up with something to keep themselves warm. It's fascinating, yes; but seductive. I've heard rumors of knitters' children going hungry because of their mothers' yarn addictions. Oh, yeah, at first it's just a skein or two here and there; but before you know it, you find yourself stealing your own kids' lunch money to pay for your habit. Alas, the seamy underside of knitting has never been pretty. (Ouch - an unintended pun, but a pun nevertheless.)
Speaking of neglected children, it's time I stop goofing off at the computer and make sure mine get fed before I go out. It makes my husband a wee bit more amenable to my escaping from the nut house this evening.
Actually, that yarn, not that pricey. Me over here, I'm a knitter on a budget. :-)
ReplyDeleteConversations with your kids? Is that something that we are supposed to do? I have done my fair share of Get in the car! Hurry up! and other phrases of the like, but it seems I spend more time yelling shut up to everyone. (does that count as a conversation with the kids???)
ReplyDeleteWhen I told my mom that I hated her way back when, she told me something that I never will forget, and I am known to tell my kids on occasion as well. She said - well I wasn't put here on earth to win a popularity contest, because if I was, then it wouldn't be called life now would it? (that and when I said its not fair - her response was, well lifes not fair is it? So suck it up and quit complaining)
How funny. I was just saying to my mom earlier today that I think I would like to learn how to knit. Not sure when I would have time to do it - maybe in my sleep? Oh yeah thats right, I don't get any as it is with a newborn, and an 11 yr old who doesn't know how to go to sleep. (and even IF the doctor gave me permission to give him tylenol PM for a week, that is just to tempting, LOL).
I asked my 13 year old once what I should blog about and she said I might blog about how she had changed her part that day...so I did.fszmhd I wrote all about how changing your part could change the whole way you look at the world. It could be life altering, especially if you happened to be in the 8th grade. Try asking your teenager. I want to know what she comes up with.
ReplyDelete" I mean, aside from, "Sweetie, do you have something cute to say that I could put in my blog?" " Ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just don't blog about the other stuff. I try to block it out. But when the kids are playing barbies, and imitating me? They aren't imitating my tinkling laughter or anything. They're saying, "RIGHT THIS MINUTE young lady. Don't MAKE ME COUNT TO THREE. And stop picking your nose!"
I don't understand knitting at ALL. Even crocheting a straight line/chain gives me a headache.
Hmm, I don't have many conversations with my teen. Some of that is my choice (when she's channeling Beelzebub) and some of it is her choice (because I am the meanest mom on the planet). Maybe I should take up knitting.
ReplyDeleteOur converstions are, "Oh, you want to watch Shrek?" Then them running to the tv. We try to talk at the dinner table, but you really can't get much our of a two year old and a six year old. My six year old can't remember what he ate for lunch let alone what he did at school. But we try. I like what jennifer said about the popularity contest. I need to remember that one!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know... my conversations sound an awful lot like yours!
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few lucky ones who got mostly-great teenagers. There was one who wanted to be an only child, retroactively, but she outgrew it, and the others survived it.
ReplyDeleteLove babies, love teenagers, not so crazy about people between 4 and 13. I used to have a bumper sticker on the fridge that said, "if the kids are alive at 5, I've done my job."
LittleBit's my last, and mostly it's Lorelai/Rory around here, minus the screaming at the matriarch and the messing around and the stupid choices about men.
Found you through "so, the thing is".
I tried knitting once....I knit a hat. It was bad. I retired the needles after that.
ReplyDeleteValarie - Knitting is about the process, not the product. At least, I hope that's what it's about, or I am really wasting my time.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I know, I was teasing you.
MaryAlice - my teen would say, "Just don't blog about me!" So I don't ask.
Sue - Once my kids were playing with their toy kitchen and toy food, and one said to the other, "Eat it. This is not a restaurant." Gosh, I can't imagine where she heard that.
angela wd - I hear you. Same here.