You know that moment when the truth just slaps you in the face? Yeah, that happened to me recently. Picture this: my two young daughters, my parents, and I gathered around the dinner table at my parents’ house after a long drive from Austin. And let me tell you, that drive was anything but smooth.
We left Austin just before lunchtime, which was already a rookie mistake. After a quick lunch stop, the girls fell asleep, but soon enough, I found myself fighting to stay awake too. My caffeine fix didn’t help much since it woke them up for good. And then came the delightful sibling squabbles over the radio, which escalated into hitting, pretend-hitting, and the oh-so-annoying almost-touching.
Things only got worse with unexpected traffic and the constant chorus of “We’re bored!” followed by urgent bathroom requests in less-than-ideal areas. After parking at a suspicious-looking Subway, I tried to get the girls out, but the back door was locked. Frustrated, I blurted out, “I can’t stand this DARN car!”
Before you judge me, let me explain: an engineer thought it was a good idea to lock the doors automatically after starting to drive, presumably to prevent carjackings. But seriously, I live in Austin, not some crime-ridden city. And I open those doors for my girls every single day! Thanks for nothing, Mr. Engineer!
As we sat down to eat, my youngest, Lily, piped up, “Mommy, it’s time for the special part!” My older daughter, Mia, chimed in, “Mommy, we’re about to say a praayyyyeeer!” It’s amusing how they think I’m clueless about our family customs, considering I spent my first nineteen years living with my parents. Now we follow a different path as Unitarian Universalists.
Lily announced, “We don’t say prayers at home!” My mom reassured her, “That’s alright! We like to say a prayer before meals at our house.” I added, “It’s great to express gratitude for our food. It takes a lot of effort to bring it to the table.” So, we all said the prayer together, and I suggested to Lily, “Why don’t you share our dinner tradition with Mimi?”
Lily, our youngest, sometimes feels overshadowed by her older sister. But she took the lead on “Good Thing, Bad Thing,” where everyone shares one good thing and one bad thing about their day. She explained that listening is the most important part, and then she insisted that Mia should go first.
Mia started, “Well, my bad thing is that Mommy was REALLY grumpy during the drive.” I shot her a look, but she wasn’t being mean; she was just speaking the truth. She continued, “Mommy screamed sometimes and said some bad words…” I glanced at my parents, who were trying to suppress their laughter.
Mia elaborated, “She’s been stressed at work and got mad at us for saying we were bored.” The laughter at the table became contagious, and even I couldn’t help but chuckle. My dad remarked, “I’m learning a lot from this tradition!”
We continued sharing our Good Thing – Bad Thing reflections around the table, and everyone listened and participated. I truly cherish this dinner ritual.
After dinner, I spoke to my girls about a couple of things:
- They’re old enough to handle a three-hour car ride without being needy, especially with all the distractions they have like books, toys, and movies.
- I apologized for not managing the situation better.
I may have been sorry, but I still can’t stand those darn locks!
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To sum it up, life as a parent is filled with good moments and challenging ones, and sharing them helps us all grow closer as a family.