Conversation with aging parents
My father called me* this evening, and after a full dissection of why I didn't answer the phone when he called earlier. (I was out!) He asked ........
Father: "would you like to talk to your mother**
Mia: "umm ok, if she wants to"
Father (whispers): "its Mother's Day"
Mia: "not here its not, but ok, put her on"
muffled conversation in the background
Father: "It's Mia, she wants to talk to you"
Mother: "But I'm making the tea"
Father: "It's ok, the tea can wait"
Mother: "Oh ok then"
Mother: "Hello"
Mia: "Are you having a good day Mother?"
Mother: "Oh thank you yes, we've just heard that your Father's 2nd cousin has just died, I never met her but your Father said that Grandma took you once to her place in Portsmouth for afternoon tea - do you remember her? You must have been about 6."
Mia: Not really, Grandma took me to lots of relatives for afternoon tea.
Mother: Well we are going to the funeral and apparently the service is going to be held at XXXX Abbey, which as you know*** is just a ruin so it should be quite an interesting service"
Mia: "As long as it doesn't rain, so how are you?"
Mother: "Ok then, bye"
Yep, thats one of the 3 conversations that my mother and I have had since last August.
~sigh~
And yet I still have people not believing me when I tell them she has no interest in me.
This phone call is even more odd when you remember that they didn't bother calling me on Christmas Day, New Years Day or my birthday last year. Yet I'm still expected to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.
*A very rare happening these days
** A never before suggested idea
*** Actually I didn't, but great, now I do!
2 comments:
Oh, I would say just the opposite. If she had *no* interest in you, your father would not have felt compelled to call and more importantly, she'd have been polite and asked about you.
The fact that she didn't speaks volumes.
Your mother may be one seriously emotionally stunted individual and may even be in the top ten worst communicators on the planet, but I think you'd be sorely mistaken to think she didn't care about you.
God...that's horrible. While the above comment may be true, it certainly doesn't excuse the failure of your mother to demonstrate what is probably the most basic and most important requirement of parents, ...that of showing love to their kids, regardless of the history, personal hangups, and beliefs. What else is there in life that even comes close compares to that responsibility?
Apologies if that that sounds terribly simplistic and obvious.
- Matt
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