Dec 4, 2013

Overthinking it

The other day I put little notes in my kids' lunchboxes. I've done it before but not for awhile. In the past I've done notes that say things like "Hi [child's name], Have a nice day. Love Mum [heart and/or smiley face]".

This time my note looked like this:




That night A took me aside and whispered, troubled: "Mum, why did you tell me to smile?"

"No reason," I said. "It was just another way to say I love you."

She was confused. "But I know you love me." (OK, so that's good). "So why did you tell me I have to smile? I wasn't sad or grumpy."

"Oh, it doesn't mean that," I said. "It's a cultural meme, referencing the 'smile, Jesus loves you' signs of the 1970s that I grew up with, with which of course you are utterly unfamiliar."

(I didn't say that).


A little while later M said, "Mum, why did you leave us a note in our lunchboxes?"

"Just to say hi," I said. "I've done it before. Do you remember?"

"No."  She frowned. "Why did you say 'your mum loves you' ? Why just Mum? What about Dad?"



Ay, ay, ay, ay...


Photo: Cellar_Door_Films/Flickr


14 comments:

  1. Maybe just put a smiley sticker on their sandwich next time.

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  2. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

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  3. OMG!! Wait till they are teens.

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  4. Ay yay yay indeed. The winning moment? That they KNOW you love them. Pure gold. For them and for you.

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  5. Hi Jackie,

    You can't win! Have they told you to grow up yet?

    :-)

    Cheers

    PM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not yet, but they tell me I'm weird all the time!

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  6. Oh, that is just brilliant. Children are too clever by half :-)

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    Replies
    1. I don't know who was more guilty of overthinking this whole exercise - them or me.

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  7. Think it's possibly more of a girl thing, can't imagine either of my boys doing that! I'd be lucky to get any kind of comment at all…better than being interrogated though?! :)

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    Replies
    1. That's funny, you might be right about this being a 'girl thing'!

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