Home of the Whale

Took the kids to the Aquarium today, for several reasons. First, I really needed to get myself (& them) out of the house before I totally lose it. Second, my parents were paying (good thing as it's $17.50 just for me to get in).

My parents have been down for Christmas for an entire week already and today was the first time I saw them and they saw my kids. I haven't totally figured out the animosity or ambivalence they have towards my family, but they really seem to care less about their firstborn grandchild. Their firstborn grandson, my sister's son, is a whole other story. They dote over him and spoil him like crazy. Not sure if it's some British family tradition mindset they're in or if it's a psychological thing because he had to have open heart surgery when he was 6 months old. Whatever the reason, he's spoiled and well taken care of, while my 2 kids go months at a time without seeing their grandparents.

And today almost killed any chance of them seeing their 'other' grandkids over Christmas this year. We're supposed to go to my sister's place for Christmas dinner, but I'm starting to lean towards just buying a small turkey, cooking it myself and staying home with the family I love instead. Don't get me wrong. I care for my sister & her family and my parents, but my attitude these days is similar to the one I have at school. If it's too much effort to keep in touch, then why bother at all?

Today was almost the last straw as we'd planned on meeting them (my sister, nephew, and my parents) at the aquarium at 10:30 this morning. Depsite our living the furthest away (90-minute to 2-hour drive), we arrived and parked at exactly 10:29am. At 10:45, I called my Mom's cell, but there was no answer. At 11:00, I called it again and again there was no answer. At 11:15, I called my sister's house (where her husband was home all day) and got no answer there either. So, I told the kids we'd take a quick walk (since the rain had finally let up and let us out from under the entry way awning) around the park area and then head for home (via the video store where they could pick out a couple of movies). Just as we started walking away, up walks everyone else.

So, I'm annoyed (duh) and my mother can't believe I'd be this upset about they're being "a little late." No, no. A little late is 5-10 minutes. LATE is 15-20 minutes. 45 minutes? Yeah, you're being stood up. And the first question running through my head is "what happened to my Dad?" This is a guy who used to fret about getting to the movie theatre at least 45 minutes before showtime and was always one of the first to arrive for scheduled meetings. He used to start his 9-5 job at 7am and worked until 5. Now he's letting people in his presence refer to a 45-minute absence as "a little late." So, when I start arguing with them about not having their ringer turned on on the cell phone and not having the decency to call me and let me know where they are, my mother says "Well, why didn't you just go back home?"

Gee, I don't know. Maybe it was the nearly 2-hour drive here. Maybe it's having to explain to my kids why we stood out in the cold rain for 45 minutes just to pack up and go home without going into the aquarium at all. Maybe it's wanting to know just what the Hell happened to my "family" that they couldn't show up on time.

Had my kids not been there, I probably would've left right then. But, I toughed it out for my kids and let them enjoy a day at the aquarium and the park. Besides, my parents were still paying after all.

Honestly, I'm still leaning toward not going to my sister's for Christmas dinner. My sister's mother in-law will be there along with her one son in his early 30s who still lives at home. The 'mother' always talks to everyone with a condescending tone and I get the feeling these days that even that family (including my sister's husband) feel slighted by us. Why, I don't know, but there's a level of beligerence there...

I'll sleep on it.

On a side note, my daughter totally loves going to the aquarium and got invited to play in a game to identify animal tracks in the snow. My little 5 year old answered every single one right, including animals like elk, arctic fox, and wolverine. The lady running the game was astounded and told her she was very smart. To which my daughter (MY daughter) replied, "Yeah. I am smart. I get that all the time." Who's daughter? MY daughter.

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