and now, a thoughtful moment from Greta.....

While waiting to get my hair cut today, I listened to one woman talking to the stylist.  She described that she was going away for the weekend and leaving her husband with the kids.  The stylist asked why she was going alone and she said that her daughter was a buzzkill when she wanted to drink and party.  The woman was going to a party where she knew she would want to drink and the last time her 7 year old was with her at a party, the little girl gave her mom a hard time about drinking.  The woman went on to say that her daughter hated her and didn't like it when she had fun.  The stylist laughed and said "well, you're the adult.  You can do what you want."
It reminded me of my best friend from grade school and high school.  Jen's dad smoked and Jen hated it.  She hated the way the house smelled, the way her clothes smelled, and she just knew it wasn't healthy for her dad so she would give him a hard time.  She would ask him to quit and I think she was a little embarassed by it at one point in her life.  As far as I know, her dad never quit smoking.  Anyway, this little girl reminded me of Jen.
I can't help but feel a little sorry for the little girl.  And even tonight, I'm thinking about it.  I totally get that as adults/parents, we've paid our dues and waited until we were old enough to "do what we want".  And yeah, if the woman wants to drink, it's her right.  I even agree with "getting away from the family every once in awhile" feel.  But how sad that this mother thinks her little girl "hates her".  I think the little girl loves her mom very much.  Isn't it funny where we live in a world where children who see their parents drink still think that drinking is not good for you?!  When I was teaching, I taught in a district where it was not unusual for children who shared a mother to not share a father or for children to live with two unmarried parents.  And yet, when one child asked me if I had children, another child popped up with "of course she doesn't have kids.  She's not married yet."  They get the basic principle even if it sometimes is not emulated in their own home.  It makes me really aware of what children are capable of.  I'm thinking hard of that little girl tonight and I hope that she and her mom have a good relationship as she grows up.  And I hope that my kids keep me in line as they get older.  Heaven knows that we adults need it!