Saturday, June 05, 2010

Who's Mom is on First or...

Okay - I need suggestions. I am going to try to start documenting the ever-often-forever mis-communications (um why is spell check tellig me that is wrong?) I have with my mom. And I need a title for them. Who's on first seems a little long - but maybe not. Ideas?

They happen whether we are talking on the phone, on instant messenger or in person. There seems to be no way to stop it. I've instituted a 'simple declarative sentences' plan which I'm sure has helped some - but... sadly not enough.

Okay.

First, a simple one.

I ask my mom is there anything she needs at the store? She tells me hot dogs for sure then continues to list things, but as shes doing this Jack is trying to get her to go upstairs, Finn is upset in the car seat and she's holding Max, it was Max or Bronx anyway... not causing trouble ... but there was another body. As she spoke I kept repeating the list verbally (including the stuff I needed)

I know I heard gold fish and go-gurt. So, me being the awesome over-achiever that I am, got every thing I heard.

I come back with a HUGE thing of rainbow goldfish. Do I expect delight and praise? I do. Do I expect a look of weary disgust when I present it to her? No, I do not. And yet that is what I get.

WHAT?! I ask, you SAID goldfish.

She said she DIDN'T need goldfish.

Oh for crying out loud...


But it's a good illustration. We both do this (Steve can attest to this as it drives him utterly bonkers). We give too much information. Or not enough of the pertinent information. Or too much peripheral information.

AND we both desperately want to be helpful, to give that extra mile, to make you all love us ;). Okay maybe not that. But we really stress about being "good" *insert relationship here*.

3 comments:

diane said...

You forgot to mention that the one other thing (and the only important one) I happened to ask you to buy, you forgot.

Lori said...

It would probably also be too long to call it "What We've Got Here is a Failure to Communicate," although I think that would be awesome.

Albert said...

Soooo funny!