October 15, 2007 by Barbara.

As Ken and Reid were leaving for daycare this morning, he asked me when I thought I’d get home tonight. I guessed it would be shortly after 9:00. He then asked if I’d be home between work and the meeting. Before I could answer, Reid chimed in to say that I was going to a meeting and would be eating supper away from home. Ken was a bit exasperated and said he should have known to ask Reid. He thinks that women in my family keep information from male family members and “outsiders”, which include anyone not of my family.

In my defence (it’s my blog and so I get to mount my defence), we spent 6 hours in the car together this weekend and I was awake for at least 3 of them. We also spent some time together last night and he never asked them. Of course, I didn’t volunteer anything but that doesn’t mean that he is right.

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October 15, 2007 by Barbara.

Ken and I have different expectations around what should happen at supper. One of our differences is around staying at the table from start to finish of the meal. For the most part, I can see that he is right but in my family getting up in the middle of a meal was commonplace and it’s proving to be a very hard habit to break. Before Reid was born and even for months afterward, we ate in the living room most nights. It sounds awful to admit this but the admission explains why we’re having this conflict 10 years after we were married. Now that we are a family with a daddy, mama and child, we’re facing a clash of family of origin expectations.

Another of of the behaviours that seems akin to fingernails on a chalkboard for Ken is singing at the table. Grandma Joyce has a song or part thereof for every occasion and I have inherited many of them. Reid is also a singer. Still, I try to remember that it bothers Ken.

On Saturday at supper, Grandma Barb served Jello for dessert. Reid turned down the pies and apple crumble and focussed only on the Jello. At some point, I was overcome with the desire to sing “J-e-l-l-o” and I did. Immediately, Grandma Barb said, “You’ll cry before bedtime.” Apparently there is a saying, “Sing at the table and you will cry before bed.” Ken said, “That explains things” since Reid both sings at the supper and sometimes at bedtime as well.

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