My 8 year old son was outside in the driveway with his dad who was hanging a new net on our basketball hoop. And my son came up to the window and knocked on it to get my attention. I could hear it just fine, but I didn’t want to yell through the closed window. I was in my room putting on a short sleeved shirt. (I had dressed up this morning for another job interview which went very well this time, thank you.) So finally I come out and he is still banging away on the window. And I go and pull up the window and say “what is it?” I don’t even remember what he asked me, so obviously it was supremely important (to him).
Then he starts to walk away and I say, “I didn’t come to the window right away because I was changing my shirt.” I like to explain to my kids, in easy to understand ways, why they don’t always get an immediate response from me. Indicating, by extension, that they could just chill the heck out sometimes and be patient until I’m ready to answer. Well, my neighbor, who is a mechanic and restores classic Volkswagens next door, was right outside on the other side of our driveway working on a car. And since I had just announced, plenty loud enough for him to hear, that I had just been momentarily topless, I quickly added, “I’m sure our neighbors will be glad to hear that,” and then to my husband, “sorry about that.”
My husband shrugged it off. He has been putting up with my social awkwardness for ten years and has slowly gotten used to my blundering ways. He is good sport. I love that guy.
But, WTF is my problem? Have I not heard myself lecture my own children about how to keeps their voices down so as to not share our whole life story with everyone in the neighborhood? Can you believe I already found such a priceless opportunity to stick a foot in my mouth again? Are you suitably impressed or have you done better (meaning worse)?
I don’t think that you have graduated to parenthood until you stick your foot in your mouth. Thankfully, not there yet!
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If you say so! 😀
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I also stick my foot in my mouth all of the time. Lol! I think everyone does.
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Haha. ‘Where’s the football’ is just fine. Honking goose, you shouldn’t cuss so. People like me and Carl need to understand you. lol
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Feel free to insert your own G-rated expletives wherever you see me cussing. 😉
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I wouldn’t worry about it at all, these things make life more interesting.
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Oh yes, I am a regular fountain of interesting. 😉
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It happens to the best of us 😉 Chin up, and just try harder next time! I bet you say that to your kids, too. But, we all do it so no worries!
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This is one I’m already laughing about. I hope my husband will soon see it the same way…
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Well, I just read that he said, “It won’t be your choice, it’ll be your wife’s” to your 9 year old. So I’m thinking he has his share, too?
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Well that was around the dinner table. If anyone is embarrassing us in public, it’s usually me. But I wear that badge with pride. 😀
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Yes!! There has to be one in every family! 😀
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Oh I have a good one. Or not good, if you are me. My dad’s cousin flew down from Seattle for my wedding. He’s an interesting guy, artistic and recently into printmaking. I too make art, and on my wedding day, in the hotel room getting ready I said to him something like “isn’t it annoying when your artist friends give you their work instead of a real gift” because that’s what I always do. It must take considerable diplomatic effort from my friends and family to always paste on smiles and say thank you to me. But! Because I am an asshole I say this just before he offers me a wedding gift: an etching. Made and signed by him. SMH (shake my head) I am a terrible person.
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OH MY. I don’t know if you can look back and laugh at that one. (Sorry) Ouch.
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Love this thread 😊
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Cheers! Thanks a lot. 🙂
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Perhaps you just have an infinity for the 1st Amendment or maybe, as a parent of young people, you’ve got way too much going on to think about your total surroundings. Either way, it’ll probably continue you until you have time to stop, think and roll.
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I’m not a very self conscious person. Also known as I-don’t-give-a-fuck-itis. I’d like to think that eventually my husband will stop being embarrassed by me and come to think of this trait as endearing.
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I remember being with a gf at a disco in the 80s ( yes I am old haha) .she was yelling a funny story to me about a colleague of hers who was also with us. Thing was while the music was playing her yelling was needed to let me hear the story being told. But, the music stopped suddenly just as she yelled the punch line of the story. Yes the colleague heard and knew that she’d been telling his embarrassing story to me 🙂 we 3 still tell and laugh at that story ( he’s her husband now)
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That’s a good one. It’s so nice to be able to look back and laugh. 😀
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I lament that often I have stuck both feet in my mouth. No way out of the gaffe either. As you can imagine the dentist is making a lot of $ off of me.
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I’m now thinking of it as priceless blogging fodder.
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I think you just did again (WTF) Never mind, I just figured it out myself. I don’t know how you are going to explain that to Yoshiko.
Leslie
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Straight answer, anyone could google it, so I’m not gonna mince words. I’ve had to google a lot of those acronyms b/c I am frequently clueless.
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Guess I’m kind of old fashioned. I prefer the words to the acronyms. If I stop using the words I’ll forget how to spell them.
Leslie
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I’m trying to maintain a low-grade level of cool so my kids continue to invited their friends over when they’re teenagers. Its pretty hard for me to judge whether I’m achieving that or not, though.
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Cool may not be the way to go. It is a tough road to hole with teenagers. Been there and survived. They are adults now and my best friends. God bless.
Leslie
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That’s why it has to be low-grade level, because you still have to stay in the parent zone. But I’m not there yet, so I’m just making wild guesses at this point.
I’m glad to hear you are good friends with your grown kids. That is exactly what I hope to be some day. 😀
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You’ll get there. Just keep your sense of humour.
Leslie
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What is wtf?
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What The Fuck
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I thought it meant “where’s the football”
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lol is that what I should say if someone’s grandmother asks that question?
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Yep, “when that’s funny” use it !
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😓 oh no
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