Yesterday I got on Leiya's case about writing her thank you notes from graduation. Why is it that she's been able live without me for three years and now I feel a need to nag at her."Leiya, your graduation was two weeks ago. You really need to get those thank you notes out. Any longer than two weeks late is unacceptable."
Motherhood at its best. I'm sure you know the eye rolling routine that answered me. A few minutes later I happened to look at my mom's desk and what do I find but a box of Christmas cards. Most of them addressed. A peek inside and I see that Mom has even written notes to people about last year's news. News that will be out-dated if she just waits to send the cards THIS Christmas.
"Mother, you've got all these Christmas cards that you didn't send out this year. What do you want to do? Toss them or write another note and send them out 6 months late?"
Mom is writing notes. Slowly. So I've got Leiya in one corner writing thank you notes and Grandma in another corner writing Christmas notes.
My mother has been holding her own pretty well since I've been here. Better than I expected. She eats well, she'll go out on short jaunts with us during the day. We are able to leave her alone for half a day while we go off and she can handle heating up something to eat on her own. The aggravations of last year have been cleared up and she no longer is bothered by people asking her for money.The other day I took Mom to the library and we were both pleasantly surprised when the librarian came over and let her know that he had been in her fourth grade class more than 30 years ago and still remembered her reading stories to the class like James and the Giant Peach and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I wonder if Mom's story hour influenced his decision to go into library science. She was so tickled that he remembered her and came over.
Nowadays, Mother's favorite pastimes are reading library books, napping or holding one of the animals. I know that animals offer a great comfort to older people and I can see that both the animals and my mother feel happy and contented when they are together. My mother is flattered when one of the dogs jumps up to be with her and she constantly is exclaiming,"Look, Sadie came up to sit by me all by herself!"
Sadie, a funny looking buck-toothed puppy of less than a year, looks up at my mother with adoration in her eyes and exudes love. Scrappy, a wonderfully behaved lovable mutt sits at my mother's feet and looks at her with understanding in his eyes while she coos at him. Even grouchy Cassie, an overweight lap dog seeks out my mother.
My mother is a cat lover too and she has a moody cat that has a take-you or leave-you attitude. Kitty Kat's meowing in the mornings sparks a conversation between my mother and her feline companion and neither seems to mind that the other falls asleep in the middle of the conversation.Back to my nagging routine.
"Leiya, get those thank you notes written! I want to go to the post office today. Mother, are you finished writing your Christmas cards? They are going to be a year late at this rate!"
What a pair!
5 comments:
Tanya,
Thanks for sharing the photos, your Mom and her animals are so cute.
I bet your Mom has enjoyed every minute being with you and watching you in action. I agree with you in reference to "Thank-you cards"...my husband and I just finished a conversaton about this same subject. We received three graduation announcements last week from three different areas of the USA and all three were addressed by their MOMS..Holy Moses! is the normal way of today? Maybe, we should have made the checks out to their MOMS. Sorry for the ranting, but maybe we're not in the groove here.
Liz
I am bad. I do not like writing large amounts of thank cards or Christmas cards. I do it, but reluctantly. I rather invite someone to my home for dinner and that is more work!
I am so fed up with todays lack of thank you notes from weddings and 21st and engagement parties in particular ....it leaves me somewhat speechless. One lass at Church has birthday celebrations and last year I made her a bag with nice machine embroidery on it. I had to ask had she received it. I am about to boycott gifts if they boycott thank You notes.
Maybe I could send a little note and say that I will not bother giving you a gift so that you do not have to bother thanking me.
Of course I could/would never do it but the thought has occurred a few times.
Thanks for such a good laugh! It only goes to show that it crosses all generations;) I've yet to receive a birth announcement from a niece on her 2 1/2 month old baby or a thankyou for the 4 fabulous gifts I gave the baby (2 were quilts) I suspect it's a sad sign of the time in this computerized generation where traditional ways are either being forgotten (our aging parents) or seen as less important that other activities (our young people.)
We don't give thank you notes in our family either - since gifts are given in person and the acknowledgment is done at the same time. When Sasha got gifts from her father's side of the family, I asked him if they did thank you notes, and he said no. Sasha has therefore not had any practice. I do make her acknowledge anything she has received in the mail with a phone call or an email at least.
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