I like to think that I’m a good mom, so I try not to compare my children. They are like snowflakes, after all. Each uniquely wonderful in their own way.
Although now that I think of it, aren’t all snow flakes wonderful in the exact same way? Like they’re pretty and we all “ooh” at them but then when they meet up with their snowflake friends, and prevent our kids from going to school, we hate them.
(Sorry about that segue. Also, I’m sorry that segue isn’t spelled segway).
So in order to avoid comparing my children, I will present things very factually, without much editorializing, so that you can see for yourself how different (but equally wonderful!) they are.
I had to go out of town for a few days and I asked my daughter if I could borrow her MacBook. It is her most prized possession. She got it for Christmas 2009 and it was her only gift that year and she loves it. Plus, she uses it for school work.
But when I asked her, she said “sure”. She didn’t hesitate, she didn’t sigh, she didn’t roll her eyes.
She said that I could have it and that she would share the desktop Mac with her brother. I offered her my PC laptop in exchange and she looked at me with pity and said, as she has said many times before, “that’s okay, mommy. I’d rather have no computer at all than a PC.”
Point taken.
And then I asked my son if I could borrow his suitcase. For two days.
“Why can’t you use your own?” he asked.
“Because mine is too big. And yours has wheels.”
“But it’s mine,” he insisted.
“I know it’s yours,” I told him. “But I want to borrow it.”
He was unsure.
“What if it gets stolen?” he asked.
“It won’t. I’ll keep an eye on it.”
“So you’re saying that while you’re asleep, you’ll still watch it? That doesn’t even make sense.”
So I did what any normal person would have done.
I borrowed his suitcase while he was sleeping.
Disclosure: I love both of my children. Equally. But I love their willingness to lend me things unequally.
One year ago ...
- I Have Not Yet Begun to Mock - 2010
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: charismatickid
June 15, 2011 at 11:58 am
Wow your daughter sounds like an angel!
CRACKING UP at how your son must have reacted when he found out his suitcase is gone.. thinking, “My mom is SUCH A SNEAK!”
Twitter: MamaWantsThis
June 15, 2011 at 12:08 pm
At least you have ONE child who is willing to share. 🙂
I love this post! = )
Twitter: jukeboxbarb
June 15, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Was your son traumatized at a young age by the tooth fairy- maybe took his tooth but forgot to leave anything in return?
this is too funny. i cant wait to hear the sequel if your son realizes your thievery.
Twitter: penbleth
June 15, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Perhaps your daughter is still angling for the more expensive shorts. That siad my kids borrow my MacBook without asking and I have to go looking for it back, so one of us is doing something right. Hint, not me.
Your son sounds a scream.
Twitter: TheSuniverse
June 15, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Hahahaha. Nice snowflakes.
Twitter: amommyinthecity
June 15, 2011 at 1:00 pm
So funny! This reminds me of my sister and I. I was much like your son and my sister was just like your daughter. Funny now to have a mom’s perspective on all of this. P.S. I am now ashamed of how I acted.
Twitter: rimarama
June 15, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Watch yourself! He seems like the type who would take you to court.
I’m definitely going to lawyer up.
I’m with Penbleth. I’m sure she’s a great kid, but something smells fishy…
Twitter: gdrpempress
June 15, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Such a smart mom to separate the sharingness from the child:
“I love my children equally, though there are days when one has the bad sharing behavior today.”
Twitter: sellabitmum
June 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm
There is no such thing is sharing with ones mother. Mother’s are allowed to borrow the belongings of their offspring without even asking, right? Or I am doing this wrong? Also, I would not return the MacBook.
Haha! This sounds like my brother and I, though I must admit I was the one unwilling to share as a kid… not good.
I think I snorted when I read the part about you borrowing his suitcase while he slept.
Twitter: Peajaye
June 15, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I hate to criticize, but I think where you went wrong was in your response to “But it’s mine.” I believe the correct response is: “Actually it’s not. Since you’re a minor, I legally own everything in this room, including your video games and baseball gear. So the question really is, how unhappy do you want to make the person who can take away all your fun stuff?”
I could have written a similar story about my older twins. Only the suitcase would have smelled like a dead animal carcass so I would have used my crappy one and been angry at him for weeks.
I’m with your daughter.
No actually I would rather bang my had against a wall than use a PC. What the hell are you doing with that thing??? 😉
Don’t worry, I confided to a friend the other day that I’m pretty sure my son is cuter than my daughter. It’s just factual for now…
Twitter: Issascrazyworld
June 15, 2011 at 4:51 pm
He’d charge you interest if you borrowed money, wouldn’t he?
He told my mother the other day “I only lend money to members of my family, including mom.” I’m not sure why he singled me out like that.
But thanks for reminding me to “borrow” some money from him. While he’s sleeping.
So, what you’re basically saying is that in order to be assure the flow of items from kid to parent, it is definitely necessary to have more than one kid.
that Octomom was onto something.
I think I have my defense when the media asks me why I’m having dectuplets.
Twitter: mannahattamamma
June 15, 2011 at 7:22 pm
see? this proves my point. as the mother of two boys, I am doomed to live in a single-room walkup, living on cat food, while my sons assure one another that they “just checked in on mom last month and she was FINE and we got the really upmarket cat food for her, too.” Doomed, I say, doomed. I love both my sons equally, but sometimes I think I would love at least one of them more (ok, differently?) if he were named…Charlotte. Or Ruby? Lucie? Dora?
Hope you had fun with the macbook and the stolen suitcase.
Although to be fair, Fancy Feast has some awesome flavors. And by the time it’s our turn to..feast..I’m sure that the selections will be even better.
Twitter: Mamabirddiaries
June 15, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Great. And now I love your daughter even more. Seriously, can I have her?
Sorry, but in our house, it all belongs to us…..the grown ups with jobs who paid for all the stuff.
Hmm, I don’t agree. If we gave a kid a gift, it’s theirs.
Although I may try your approach the next time the kids are eating an ice cream sundae.
🙂
Twitter: NorthWestMommy
June 15, 2011 at 11:22 pm
So sweet. You can borrow my suitcase anytime, but my son would not give you his Trunki.
I have no idea what a Trunki is. Except I can’t live without it now.
Twitter: gonnakillhim
June 15, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I would sooner throw my laptop from a speeding car than allow anyone to borrow it, which further heightens the selflessness of your daughter.
Young Ladrinka probably has you nanny cam’d and you don’t even know…
Twitter: mommyshorts
June 16, 2011 at 8:20 am
I love that you took his suitcase while he was sleeping. That’ll show him!
And I agree with Erin. Willingness to you lend your laptop is EXTREMELY generous. Your daughter is a paragon of virtue.
Twitter: asideofrice
June 16, 2011 at 9:07 am
They are certainly snowflakes. That melt your heart.
Your daughter is precious, your son even more…
Your daughter will go far (especially since she has gained a healthy dislike of PC’s) and your son thankfully is perfectly normal! Thanks for the laugh!
I do not know why this is as funny as it is to me, BUT I AM LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY and getting weird looks from my coworker
Twitter: SheSuggests
June 16, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Oh you naive sweet woman you, she is PRIMING you for the day when she can borrow all of your favorite sweaters, skirts, earrings, purses, you name it and can forever say “but I let you borrow my Mac”
Twitter: mybusychildren
June 16, 2011 at 10:21 pm
he is probably is still maturing and has not gotten to the state of sharing willingly.
OT: my 2 year olds first words were THAT MINE!
Twitter: Stimey
June 19, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Way to prove your son’s point.