Read Between the Lines

I remember the days when my three boys took turns (unwittingly) telling me:

a) how beautiful I am

b) how wonderful I am

c) how they will buy me a mansion and diamonds when they get older and they will go to work and I can stay home and watch cartoons all day

d) how I am the best mommy in the world

e) all of the above

Today was not that day.  Yesterday wasn’t either.  In fact, those days are long gone. 

Today is a new day. 

Here is a sampling of what I’ve had today:

Key:      AJ = son #1  (age: 20)

            CD = son #2  (age: 18)

            NG = son #3  (age: 12)

To be fair:  these are all approximations of sentences or exchanges that happened today unless noted with quotation marks.  These are in no particular order.

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AJ:  Did you know there’s a psychological disorder that you can develop when you have one awesome parent and one loser parent?

NG:  (when I asked why my hip was hurting):  “You are old.”

CD:  My friends worry if you will be in a good mood at school.  (Note:  I am always in a good mood at school as far as anyone knows!)

CD:  Do we have to have a Russian test tomorrow? 

CD: Who won the donuts any way?

NG:  I have a social studies quiz tomorrow.

NG:  (when asked about studying for above quiz):  There’s no quiz.  Who told you that?

AJ:  Massage school and bartending school sound good.

CD:  I am Don Quixote.

NG:  You don’t really know English, do you, Mom? (disbelieving look from me)  Well, I mean, not middle school English.

AJ:  I think a Jack Keroauc kind of traveling around thing would be cool.  (As long as it’s not Chris McCandless, ok.)

CD:  I totally have a good shot at Cornell.

CD:  I’m never getting into Cornell; just sign me up for community college now.

NG:  You don’t know Spanish, Mom.

CD:  What?

CD:  Good just exploit me; I don’t care.

AJ:  Volunteering around the world would be cool.

NG:  I was sad…and perturbed.

CD:  (when told his aunt broke her toe)  Hee hee. Swift.  No, seriously, is she ok?

NG:  I am special.

CD: (in a Snape voice) "Since you’re not doing anything productive (as I type this blog), can you quiz me on this?" (handing me anatomy notes)

NG:  But that’s not what inquisitive means.

AJ:  I hope not.

NG:  I did wash my hair.

CD:  I am magical.  Like a unicorn.

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I think if you read between the lines you can still see the original phrases, hidden here and there, having taken on a bit of a different shape.  The boys are communicating in their own ways.  People tell you things.  Weird things.  Unrelated things.  Incomprehensible things. At unexpected times.

It’s all important.  Listen.  It's all magical.