Thanksgiving Blue Part One

Once again I was up in my room. Hiding away from the masses on the first floor. I’d done my best that morning while trying to watch the Macy’s parade. I’d managed to keep in all the frustration of a mother ignoring her children and making others watch after them. But when the parade ended and the TV was shut off I sort of lost it. I asked her to look after her own children and she went back into the whole ‘I’m better than you, I have children you don’t, stop telling me what to do.’ Because having her own father telling her to watch her children mere minute before hadn’t done a single thing.

So, here I was, hiding up where I wouldn’t cause more trouble. That always happened when my sisters were around. I would always be the one in trouble, always the one getting the lectures of how to be a better person, the one getting the long speeches about how I need to get married.

Marriage? What’s that going to solve? So far it’s done next to nothing for the first five who’ve tried it. Seriously? Is that the excuse for every conversation now?

‘When are you going to get married?’

‘When are you going to move out?’

‘You’re not a mother, I’m not going to listen to anything you say, but I will treat you like a child just because I’m a mother and you’re not.’

“I can’t take it anymore!” I slam my fist against a pillow. “Why is it my holiday has to be ruined because you can’t keep track of your own children? Isn’t it bad enough you make the oldest look after them? ”

I lean back on my bed, wondering how I’m going to make it through a car ride and a movie with them. They wanted to have a ‘Girl’s Day’. I think they just want mom to spend more money on them so they can complain and wreak havoc behind her back.

‘You don’t see mom and dad complaining about or.’

Yeah? Well, they have the decency not to tell you you’re being a complete jerk to your kids! Unlike me, who will tell you sitting on your butt drawing or doing ‘homework’ while ignoring your kids to let them do whatever they want – including getting into everything while you’re not watching – is not the best parenting skills. Screw the fact that ‘I’m not a mother’ – I’ve seen enough with my own mom to know those kinds of things are not to be tolerated while at someone else’s house! Let them screw up your own home, but for heaven’s sake teach them to be more respectful at someone else’s house!

There I go again. This was supposed to be a ‘fun’ Thanksgiving. Instead it’s turning into one of Dante’s circles. I promise you, he had no idea what one of those circles was. Visiting family members ought to be their own little circle: it’s a nightmare of noise (which is tolerable when their younger children), older siblings (who still treat you like you’re five when you’re in University!) and in-laws with more screw-ups under their belt than a construction worker.

I really need to find something to be thankful for. I can’t end the day like this. It’s barely 12:26 in the afternoon! I still have the entire day to try and find a way to survive!