Saturday, February 6, 2010

that's nice!

we just got back from a fun dinner with friends. some new, some old....mostly connected through our kids.  just take any three couples who are out for a night and unless there's an axe murderer in the bunch, i'm pretty much going to have some fun.  we are out. biff and i are out alone...with another couple....and another couple....and another couple.

it's a date.  i count it as a date.  we showered, got dressed up a little...for our shoreline lives, said our good byes to grace and t.j., drove to the next town while listening to the radio station of our choice, walked into the restaurant, met one couple who we didn't know yet....until we figured out that they were there to meet our friends....and us for the first time....and the other couple for the first time.  then our friends arrived....with the other friends.  got it? o.k.  it doesn't matter.

it counted as a date.  kind of like our kids' playdates from toddler days....we all met at a restaurant.  we looked down at our menus instead of up when we ordered.  we all played well together.  we all had alot of laughs.  and we all shared...stories, not legos or barbies.  we were all just happy to be out....anywhere...just out.

and that's pretty much the way the night went. 8 people who liked to get out for a date and play with others.  we all did have our kids in common.  but, it's funny how they didn't even come up in conversation.  we love them.  but, it was our playdate.
we share alot of playdates with our friends.  i even share playdates with our golden retrievers.  sometimes we just need our own playdates.

it's so nice to know that there are other people who live like us.  just living life....loving their kids.....getting out....getting away from their kids.  it's not so much the getting away from the kids.....it's just getting together with each other ....without the kids.  does that make sense?  to anyone?

it makes sense to me.  it really makes sense to me.  i love my kids more than they'll ever know.  i love them so much and i am very grateful....as my mom would say, "with a capital G!".
 
and even though they're teens and they do their best not to show it, they love me.....i think.......or maybe just a little.....or maybe not so much, today....or maybe not at all, today...or maybe not at all, for a little while.  i did have to take a cell phone away from grace tonight.  oh, and i did not allow her on the computer tonight.

o.k., so maybe they hate me....now. or maybe only grace hates me right now. t.j. doesn't seem to hate me.....yet.  he might have hated me temporarily today.

it might have been at 3 o'clock this afternoon, when he asked me if i could drive him, 45 minutes away, to buy a gas mask..... at an army navy store.....because he and some friends were making a movie.....sometime in the near future.  or maybe this summer.  it seemed to be of the utmost importance at 3 o'clock this afternoon.  not yesterday.  not even at noon.  go figure.

for some reason, i had disappointed him greatly.  the kid who had been to the doctor this week to make sure that he didn't have strep throat.....to make sure that he would make it through the weekend.  he made it on the ski bus this week....sick, sore throat,coughing, aching. 

he seems much better.  it's saturday.  why not feel better?  what's not to like about a saturday?  only your mom, when she won't drive almost two hours and a half a tank of gas.....to buy a gas mask.  a gas mask!  not sneakers or a pogo stick or a boat or a snowboard.....a gas mask!

how do teen age brains work? hmmmmm. wake up. listen to ipod.  walk downstairs...with the snuggee....sit down at the kitchen table for some cereal and juice.  hang around a little. cough. pet the cat. play with the dogs.  take in a little friend time with the x-box....have some more juice.  and then, at 3 o'clock, suddenly realize that it is not possible to make it through another night without a gas mask!

all of those mommy and me classes...and gymboree....and karate....and soccer.....and lacrosse....and sailing....and skiing....and ....................a gas mask!  which fish is different?

oh, we'll buy him the gas mask.  oh yeah!  we promised. we promised one night about 6 months ago....when we stopped in this town......for dinner.....while en route home from boston.....when we stopped in, for kicks, to that army navy store....just to look around.  as we were leaving, t.j. asked if he could get that "cool mask"......and we said, "maybe some time, not now.  we have to get home."

who knew.....that 3 months later......at 3 o'clock in the afternoon....the pressing, urgent desire for that gas mask would be the moment that my son would hate me.

i hate when that happens.  i'm just having my life and *POOF*!.... somebody hates me.  just like that!  in seconds.  everyone is happy....life is good....life is great.....just ducky....and *POOF*!.....somebody hates me.

thankfully, it doesn't last long. or maybe it does.  but, long is relative.  "hate" is relative....i don't even think "hate" means "hate".  i think "hate" means "but why won't you do what i want"...or "how come you're doing that to me?".....or"why not"....or "huh?".   because usually the hate might be over by.....the next request.

the nice thing about going out....on a date with my husband.....to a playdate with friends....new, old or strangers....at least they don't hate me.  and that's nice!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Let's have more playdates. It was fun simple, relaxing and real. We don't do it nearly enough!