On a MUCH Lighter Note...

Yesterday's post was heavy.

And, let's face it, it's a heavy subject matter.  If you are a mother, you know that nothing can weigh you down like the weight of a child's needs that you try and try but just cannot make happen.

So, I'm not going to apologize for the heaviness, nor will I apologize for the cynical sarcasm that reared it's ugly head throughout yesterday's post.  My guess is that you read this blog because you care, or because perhaps you can relate in some way, or maybe just because hearing about my attempts at organizing our chaos brings a smile to your face.  Whatever the reason, I trust that you will weed through the emotional content as needed and come out on the other side still caring, still relating and still smiling.



OK, so, what I AM going to do today is share a funny story.

 

HOORAY!!



My husband and I took the three kids to dinner this past Thursday evening.  It's our usual Friday night routine, bumped up a day due to TFVTW (The Family Vacation That Wasn't).  We're smart enough to know, even with just two kids, that some places are more appropriate to bring our preschool clan to than others.  For example, Olive Garden is way too quiet and they tend to seat people like us in a back corner somewhere.  Which is okay, but it's a long walk to the door when it's time to leave and kids are screaming like banshees because dinner took a little longer than usual and we're getting into their bedtimes.  (Yep, been there more than once.  Lesson learned - the hard way, of course!)

So, we're waiting for dinner at a usual spot, kids are behaving like children rather than wild animals (always a plus!) and the noise from the tv's is at a decibel that will surely stifle the occasional scream from a well-behaved child who for some reason may not get their way.  An older gentleman takes a liking to MCHN and keeps turning around to smile at her.  She first plays the "I don't see you" card by turning her head quickly to look at a television mounted to the wall.  I have to laugh, because she watches the television with a completely straight face and like she's really interested in what's on, but the truth is, it's a basketball game, and I know better.  I put my arm around her, aware that this gentleman would really like to see her smile at him, and let her know it's alright.

With my arm around her, she gets a little more bold, letting her eyes meet with the gentleman's eyes for a little longer before, once again, turning her head to catch the basketball game.  She's got this down to a tee!  With a lot of encouragement from me, he finally gets a smile which breaks the ice and the man comes to our table.  "These all yours?!"  he asks my husband and I, referring to the kids.  We both smile at him and nod.  The look on his face says he's amazed and just really captivated by MCHN.  The gentleman goes back to sit with his friend, they both chuckle and look back to our table.  Old men just love little kids.

Dinner goes on without any disasters, melt downs or temper tantrums.  YES!  As we're packing up to leave, the gentleman's friend comes over to me and asks, "How far apart are they?"  My husband is already walking to the door with the girls, and I don't even hesitate when I answer, "two weeks." 

He's shocked. 

The look on his face says either a)  I've had too many drinks to understand what this lady just said or b) this lady is crazy!  I smile at his confusion and simply say, "It's a long story," as I leave with my baby boy in tow.  The gentleman's friend is smiling back at me, but still so confused that I make a mental note that this is going to be a good story to share.

Truth is, I assumed at some point, some day, if the need arose, it might be easier for my husband and I to get our stories straight.  I mean, the little ones are close enough in age (two weeks apart) that to a stranger, they'd probably assume they are twins.  So, would we want to correct a stranger who says something about our twins and go into the whole long story, or just go with it??  I hadn't really put much thought into it...until that moment.

We get to the car, get everyone buckled in and I tell my husband about how I shocked the gentleman's friend.  My husband laughs and says, "Well yah, I'll tell you why the poor old men are so confused!!  The first gentleman asked me if they were twins...and I said yes!" 

Twins or not, the smiles are what's important, not so much the story.

So I'm sure the first gentleman, while he chuckled and looked at us all at the table, told his old friend that he was admiring the "twins."  When his friend asked me later how far apart they were, he was obviously expecting me to answer in minutes rather than weeks.  Looking back on it, I don't think I'd have changed a thing.  You should have seen the look on that old man's face!!