Lesson 9: Sometimes You Should Do The Unexpected
I’ve been debating on whether I should tell this story, especially since I wasn’t there for it, but I’ve heard it so many times, I’m going to share, and hope my mom and sister forgive me if I make a mistake on a detail or two.
Being a mom is serious business, especially if you have a housefull of kids and a full time job. My mom was someone I could talk to and laugh with, but with one thing and the next she rarely let her wild side out. Or maybe it’s that this incident was so completely off the charts unusual that very few other experiences compare. My sister will be the first to admit she was…occassionally difficult as a teen. She will probably say I’m being too nice, but we’ll stick with this.
You know how it is when you’re in high school, if it’s not homework, or the job, or the boyfriend, or musical practice, it’s friends or one of the myriad other things that fill a teen’s life. Consequently my sister was out all evening at work–skipping dinner. When she returned home at nine-thrity or ten she decided a little Mac ‘n Cheese was in order. Fifteen minutes later she sat at the table to enjoy it steaming from the pan, eating it with the wooden sppon she’d used to cook it.
Mom came in and sat across the table, they were talking and taking it easy while she ate–my sister wasn’t an easy one to catch, so Mom took advantage of the moment. As they talked, Mom said something my sister didn’t like. Now my sister (notice how I’m avoiding using her name?) can’t remember what it was my mom said, and it didn’t make her mad, but she pretended to be. She lifted the wooden spoon filled with noodles and pretended like she was going to flip them at Mom.
She swears she wasn’t really going to do it. The spoon slipped–or that’s her story. After she flipped food at my mom, Mom walked around the table, reached into the pan and scooped some up to rub in my sister’s face.
That was the end of the food fight (a glorified term in this case, I know) because my sister was too shocked to reciprocate. Still, it’s a favorite story when we all get together. This same sister said she used to stay up in the evening with Mom eating triscuits and canned cheese. Mom said if you want to get a teen to talk, feed them ater 10 p.m. Sometimes it helps to take that literally!