We called the kids this weekend, like we do every weekend. Sometimes, they’re excited to share the adventures of the week. Sometimes, they’re frustrated and need to vent. Sometimes, they’re unsure and want advice.
But sometimes, they don’t have much to say. (If you know our kids, you know this doesn’t happen very often.) However, this week was apparently a slow one. For both of them. And their spouses. So instead of telling about their lives, they asked, “How was your week?”
“Well,” I quipped, “since Thursday your dad’s back went out, my camera died, and the check engine light came on in my car.”
Long pause with both kids. I could hear the gears shifting in their brains. “Mom’s supposed to give us good news. Tell us funny stories. Not dump on us.”
What they said was, “That’s too bad.” Another long pause. “Did anything good happen?”
I thought back to earlier in the week. “Well, yeah. Discovery House Publishers is doing a second printing of A Different Dream for My Child. And they’ve hired a freelance publicist to promote Different Dream Parenting for the first four months after its release. They told me it’s not because I’m a pest, either. It’s because they want to help parents of kids with special needs tap into the resources and support the book offers.”
Their responses this time were immediate.
Effusive.
Congratulatory.
Obviously, somebody taught them good manners growing up.
This morning, I got more good news.
The Toyota fix it man advised tightening the gas cap before bringing the car in. Lo and behold, the gas cap was loose.
The camera repair would cost half the price of a new camera…and I’ve been coveting a new, lighter camera which will also qualify as a business expense…and I still have unspent birthday money.
Hiram’s back didn’t get worse over the weekend, but metaphorically speaking, his check engine light is still on. So this morning he’s getting tuned up by the chiropractor who is much cheaper than the Toyota fix-it man.
Now I can give expected response to, “How was your week?”
“Good, kids. Thanks for asking. Good and getting better by the minute.”
