Thursday, April 24, 2008

super glue?

This is one of my favorite things. It was a wedding gift from an old woman who has since passed away. It is graceful. It is beautiful. In a hectic moment, this young lady and her two dogs somehow give me a sense of peace and relaxation. And last night, buddy roe, I needed it.
If you look REAL closely perhaps you can see the fact that she will forevermore have a "necklace" of Super Glue. In time, the breakline will be much more noticeable, as the glue will yellow with age.
For some silly reason, number two thought the rulebook said that you CAN throw things in the living room - even if it is a huge exercise ball. (This was 2 hours after number 4, also male, decided that Mommy's sterling silver bead necklace would be a great toy and even more fun when it was apart so that we could play chase beads all over the downstairs before the baby gets hold of one and eats it.)
I heard a crash and cringed. I kept vacuuming the dining room just sure that if it were bad enough he would come get me to help. He sauntered in like nothing happened.
"Do I have a mess to clean up?"
"No, not really, it was just that lady with the dogs statue. Her head came off."
The blood drained from my face. My head grew icy cold. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there with my eyes wide open and my jaw on the floor. I didn't want this to be happening.

He had no idea what it meant to me.

My friend Vicki says that men (both big and little) have no clue about stuff like that. There is nothing that really means so much to them. They don't have prized possessions. Not when they are little, not when they grow up. It is so true. Must be a freeing feeling. Sort of like being happy with zero calorie salad dressing for the rest of your life.
However, I am not going to be so lofty.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (muah ha ha ha - no pun intended), once I finally took a breath and could move, I went into the kitchen and "tattled" to King. He was furious. Not only that something so special to me was broken, but also that the boy should have known.
THOU SHALT NOT THROW THINGS IN THE LIVING ROOM - It isn't even one of those obscure rules, either, like "thou shalt not whistle in the house". No way, it is one of the important rules, one ranking under #1) THOU SHALT NOT MAKE REPETITIVE NOISES.
Boy in question went up to his room. No doubt he felt like worm poo (yes, Bia worms DO make poo, haven't you read the book?
So, fast forward past dinner time, past bath time, up until the time we say "goodnight". (Here comes the good part... the part where I don't feel like the worst mother on the planet. When I do not utter obscenities which put me in need of confession.)
"My darling child, I want you to know that statue was one of my favorite things. You are one of my favorite people. I love you way more than I love that statue. But, I also want you to know that from here until I die, I will always be sad that her head got broken. (Off!!) There is an opportunity for you to learn a couple of things here: 1) never throw things in the living room again 2) do not disobey your parents 3) when something happens like that again, please do not act like it is nothing, please say you are sorry. It would be a good thing if any ONE of those three things could happen as a result of this one bad thing."
Moral of the story: Always try to see the positive in a negative situation..... mmm.....yes, much harder than it looks like when Mary Poppins does it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

too bad i was not there with my handy dandy tube of duco cement and my years of experience at gluing ancient roman pottery back together. sorry that graceful girl lost her head. i guess we all do at one time or another.
love you!

Maria (also Bia) said...

You know, your sister took my joke about losing our heads!

And that book . . . never heard of it, but I am definitely checking it out because I don't know how I made it this far in life without knowing that worms poop. I am enlightened!

God bless, and hope you have an accident-free weekend.

Wendy Hill said...

Makes me think of the time my eldest erased the sweetest message in his two-year old voice on a photo frame he had given Daddy for Christmas. He was 7 or 8 and he recorded burping sounds. When I discovered it, I sobbed. It was the only place I had his sweet little two year old voice recorded (and it was the most darling thing - he had said, "I wuv you, Daddy, because you pway wif me. Youw the best daddy in the wowwld!" Of course, I can still hear it in my mind, but, darn it all, I want it on that frame - not a burping sound!