Kinderlessons

My Dad has told me stories of how his father taught him how to swim. He tossed him into a swimming pool and stepped on his fingers when he tried to get out. Motherhood has boosted my self-esteem in the same sink-or-swim way.

I could be bothered by the changes it has caused in my life. I could take it personally when my tweens, who are struggling to find the balance between humor and rudeness, try out their new ideas.

Anthony's lastest was:
"When I was a toddler and Sofia was a baby, you were a lot thinner."
...and then he looked at me as if he'd said something really clever and I might burst out laughing at any moment.
I say, "Yes, thanks for pointing that out." in a sarcastic enough way that he knew it wasn't funny.

They have to experiment on someone, and I'm hoping these little encounters keep him from saying similar things to his wife (or relative strangers) some day. ..and it doesn't bother me at all. When you've been thrown into the pool, you can either struggle and panic or embrace the cool water around you - let it flow over and past you.