I know it's probably not in good taste to post a photo of myself in front of the vodka display at my local grocery store, however facetious, but I just wanted to let ya'll know that this is what I look like after an emotional discussion with my teenager** about the internet, Facebook, bad language, sex, drugs and rock and roll. Those of you who have a child with severe disabilities AND a child or two or three or more without might think with a teeny tinesy part of yourself that you're going to get a pass, perhaps, on the more uncomfortable parts of parenting a normal teenager. There might be a teensy tinesy part of yourself that thinks the Universe is sometimes ordered or that you have a divine sort of perspective, especially given the shit you've been doing or going through as an extreme parent. You might even think -- with a teensy tinesy part of yourself -- that the good lord above will give you a break and your non-disabled children are going to be a piece of cake. At least I did. Well, a teensy tinesy part of myself.
Call me silly, call me naive -- hell -- call me an incipient alcoholic.
**No need to feel alarmed. All is well and neither of my boys are in any trouble whatsoever (other than the damn laundry basket filled with their clothes is still sitting on their bedroom floor and not put away).
Teenagers issue no passes! Would love to hear more...
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. . . is it weird that I think this is the tough stuff? Don't spoil it for me, OK? I keep telling myself that one day my kids will get in the car and buckle themselves in. One day.
ReplyDeleteThose are some damn good prices on booze, that's all I know.
ReplyDeletehaaha Carrie!
ReplyDeleteBuy it.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's inevitable that all the usual challenges of parenting are still there, on top of the special challenges you and your family face. If I could vote to give you a pass, I would.
ReplyDeleteOh, Elizabeth. I adore you.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can buy vodka at the grocery store? Gah! How civilized.
You are fabulous. You look like you're getting younger. Are you having an affair?
ReplyDeleteLove,
Rebecca
Ha. Ha. Ha. Radish King! Perhaps there are still some lingering effects of my recent respite trip to Canada?
DeletePerhaps
DeleteThis is something our parenting stories are intersecting on (as you know) ... Talking is so good ... Hang in there and be the biggest baddest watcher outer of your kids that ever walked the earth
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I have that teensy-tiny part in me, too, but over at our house, we haven't got a pass. Our kids are wonderful, human, fallible, and finding their way one step at a time, as we are. There are missteps, errors and disappointments on both sides of the path which are HARD to bear, but we are a team, a family, all of us (kids and parents) doing our best. I have hope and faith that we will all figure it out step by step, through mercy, grace, forgiveness, dark humor & love.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, teenagers seem to have heard about "teenagers" and are incline to live up to the hype. And I am so sorry you did not get a pass. If I hear of any being issued, I will try to pick you up one.
ReplyDelete