Not much to report from our end of the world, I’m just doing the gratuitous NaBloPoMo post at this point. My dad is at the grocery store fetching stuff to make dinner, Catie is watching “Blue’s Clues,” and my mom is reading. It’s been a pretty mellow day.
Since I don’t have much to talk about, here’s a quick story about how my dad, God bless him, can sometimes drive me insane:
Yesterday afternoon, the weather was nice, so my dad and I took Catie to the playground while my mom took a nap. We had a great time; I never thought I’d see my 72 year-old father on a swing or going down a slide, but apparently he’s game for pretty much anything to make this little girl laugh. So that was a lot of fun.
On the way home, we decided to stop to pick up take-out for dinner. (For you locals: we went to Sal & Phil’s on Old Canton Road. My oyster po-boy was great, but the fried pickles were waaay too salty.) While we were waiting for our food, Catie started to get fidgety and whiny. I told my dad that I was going to take her outside so she could get some fresh air and calm down, while he waited for the food.
My dad, hand to God, said, “Ok, just don’t let her run out in the street.”
Now, if you aren’t from around here, you probably don’t know this, but Old Canton Road is one of the major streets through Jackson. It’s about six lanes and has constant traffic. Oh, and it was dark outside. So yeah, of course he needed to warn me to keep Catie out of the street.
My response was, “You know, Dad, I’ve been doing this parenthood thing for almost two years and I haven’t gotten her killed yet, so I think we’ll be ok.”
I know he means well, he’s just being an overprotective grandpa, but he does that sort of thing all the time, and it makes me want to tear my hair out. I mean, seriously, like I’m going to let her go run out into a major thoroughfare at night? I have no common sense whatsoever? WTF?
That is hilarious! I hope you also didn’t give her any sharp objects to run with, or encourage her to insert paper clips into electrical outlets. Oh, and be sure you don’t let her get into the cleaning supplies, or prescription medications, or the neighbor’s yard with all the mean dogs. 😉
Seriously, I wonder if he was just joking to get a rise out of you.
He wasn’t kidding, I think his brain just flashes to these worst-case scenarios and he warns me before he stops to think that, “hmm, maybe she’s already thought of that.” Seriously, he does it all. the. time.
I think its sweet that your dad is taking his role seriously. I doubt he thinks you an unfit parent but he has been the parent for so long that i think it is probably ingrained in him to say things like that, like its an automatic response. i am sure he always tells you to “drive safely” or something along those lines too, right?
Not to be a party pooper, but my dad passed about 6 months after I married DH and I would give just about anything for him to tell me to “not let her run into the street.”
I thought my parents were the only ones that did that. My mom will tell me to stop tickling my kid, or to try feeding her in a different way. It drives me nuts!
“don?t let her run out in the street??”
Well, that kinda counts out the whole “playing in traffic” game, doesn’t it?
What a buzz-kill.