The mom of the other kid who has speech with Charlie was talking about one of her other kids, a baby about 10 or 11 months old. "He has an ear infection, and his face is lopsided," she said. "One side of his face is all swollen, and it makes his eye look smaller, and his cheek looks slack..." she went on and on. I was pacing the hall, jiggling Oscar. I sauntered over to look at her baby, who appeared symmetrical in every respect. I resumed pacing and jiggling.
A couple of years ago I would have run home to blog about this immediately. The whole world is full of insensitive jerks! My kid IS lopsided! One of his eyes IS smaller than the other! One of his cheeks IS slack!
But I am realizing that while Charlie is the center of my universe (or at least one third of the center of my universe), he's only a distant star in everyone else's. This other mom probably cares more that Charlie can talk better than her mush-mouthed five-year-old. Everyone has their own stuff.
Ain't it the truth, although here I am reading instead of tending to my own youngun'.
Posted by: Lee | March 10, 2009 at 02:00 PM
Good for you! Everyone does have their own stuff, indeed.
Posted by: Heather Z | March 10, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Yes... everyone has their own stuff. Even when you realize that, it doesn't hurt *that* much less when they inadvertently poke at your stuff.
Posted by: Tanya | March 18, 2009 at 07:16 AM