is over-rated. Or maybe I'm just getting anti-social in my old age. At any rate, I have been pondering what to do for Thanksgiving. It's just me and Aggie and Peter - and I have decided that I'm just going to think of it as just another Thursday. See, I used to be a fairly gracious hostess and I enjoyed having people over for dinner and celebrating holidays. I am a pretty good cook and when guests came for dinner, no one ever left the kitchen. It was a big room with a dining table, lots of chairs and a love seat - so I had lots of company while I was preparing the meal. I haven't felt much like celebrating anything the last couple of years but I had decided that I was more in the holiday spirit this year. Most of my friends have families and other plans - but I learned years ago when I was away at college that some of the best holiday celebrations are made up of groups of "strays." With that in mind, I pondered inviting guests for Thanksgiving dinner. Yes! - I knew exactly who to invite! And then I realized that if I invited them, I would also have to invite their whining, petulant, spoiled, obnoxious, boneheaded seven-year-old son and my urge to entertain was gone entirely. It's not that I'm a child-hater. I just hate that one. Maybe he suffers from only child syndrome, I don't know. All I can say is that he brings out the urge to slap in me and that is definitely not a good thing. He whines like a little girl and I just want to shake him and shriek, "Man up, kid!" I like a kid who isn't afraid of anything and comes right in and makes himself at home. My friend Ariela's four-year-old marches in, hugs Aggie, takes off his shoes, checks out the contents of the refrigerator and looks for a DVD to watch. No whining, no wheedling, no fuss. My kind of guest - who is, unfortunately, busy for turkey day. And so, since I refuse to give myself a holiday migraine from clenching my teeth, Aggie, Pete and I will be inhospitable once again this year, dining on Boar's Head smoked turkey sandwiches and watching Monk reruns.
On second thought, that doesn't sound too bad...
Dawn, I surely enjoyed this post. It made me laugh out loud. Do you think your "friends" with the "precocious" child read your blog? (haha).
ReplyDeleteI do know exactly what you mean. I've dealt with the same type of problem for many years. Although I love my siblings (sometimes), they too come with children who have NEVER heard the word "no". Heaven forbid I should say it to them. They interrupt adult conversation, correct adults whenever possible, enjoy making obnoxious noises with their bodies, have uncontrollable and bizarre saliva issues, on and on.
Some of my fondest Thanksgiving holidays were spent dining at a nice restaurant with my husband and children; then enjoying the rest of the day at my own home.
Hi Dawn,,,I hope you and Aggie and Pete enjoy a quiet and nice Thanksgiving day:) We have a very small holiday. Its just going to be my daughter, my sister and myself. But it will be nice and quiet. Not a bad thing at all.
ReplyDelete(())gail
Sounds like your choice will give you a day of fun and pleasure, Dawn! I am sure I would choose likewise!
ReplyDeleteI am the mother of an only child. Hopefully others found him more like the latter child! LOL! To this day (at 41) he can entertain himself (and all of the rest of us if need be) without any prompting from anyone!