would anyone else like a bite of banality?

[gfrancie]

This morning I had to go and help get things set-up for my son's preschool. This is kind of how it works with a co-op. Parents are thoroughly involved with things. I got to meet some of the parents and chat with the teachers. It seems the librarian volunteering job I got is highly coveted. Something like 24 people requested that as their first choice. SCORE as they say. I had a look at the selection of books in the reading area and it is pretty diverse. Classics, modern stuff, non-fiction, board books and covers a variety of subjects. I will have fun adding to it. My task this morning was to make play-dough. What a rough life I lead. I made red and green. It turns out I have a knack for making play-dough. I had a funny/odd experience with this one Dad. I think he lacks the irony gene or his sense of humor is very very different. He asked if I was a parent and I said, "I hope so, or maybe I am just a stranger who came in off the street that really likes to make play-dough." He looked at me like I had lobsters coming out of my ears and very sternly said, "well you could be one of the staff." There was awkward silence. I said, "Nope, I am just a parent." Then more silence. He walked away. Whatever pedantic Dad. Thankfully the other parents seemed cool. I saw this one Mom that I recall from the tour last Spring. She is slightly older and seems like someone with a lot of ambition. I kind of dug her vibe. She seems like she has a wicked sense of humor.

After making play-dough, having a nice discussion about books and eating a croissant I went home to wrangle the children. My brother came over this morning to help wrangle them while I was gone. I thank him. He even did some coloring with Senor Onion.

The rest of the day seemed to be spent trying to tidy up things, reading books, playing with zoo animals and amusing short people and thinking about dinner. (It was lamb meatloaf, ratatouille & potatoes if you are curious and I know you are.) Tomorrow is a slightly busy day but I think we will find time to bake things and have cocktail hour. The children do so love to mix martinis.

Comments

[meganbnl.livejournal.com]

Good lord...I don't know how anyone could survive parenthood without a sense of humor.

(Nice Christmas Story reference, btw.) :D

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I cling to my sense of humor the way some cling to drinks.

(one of my favorite lines)

[keirf.livejournal.com]

You can't give martinis to babies and children! That's unethical!

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Hee. They don't get to have them. They merely get to make them.

[quodlibetic.livejournal.com]

That dad sounds like a lot of the parents in my neighborhood. No wonder then why I've become so antisocial. :p

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Yeah see I wish you lived in my neighborhood. Non-organic food for all.

[cutebutpsycho99.livejournal.com]

When you say "whatever pedantic Dad," do you mean "Whatever pedantic fuck"?

Or am I just an asshole?

Dude, if I could get my kid to make a martini, my life would be set.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

hehehe.
He just seemed like a very very serious kind of dude. Maybe he will be chill.

[anonamys.livejournal.com]

For a different take - the dad could have been embarrassed. I've been known to ask a question that someone implied was a stupid question and replied in a defensive way. So if he took your reply to mean "What, are you an idiot?", then his response is less jerky in context. That still can point to lack of sense of humor, but it may also just be stress...

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

The thing is I was pretty cheerful saying, "yep I am a parent" not "OMG YOU IDIOT" I was mostly making fun of myself.

[anonamys.livejournal.com]

Oh, I believe you. It's just a sad fact that what you say is not always what people hear. Hopefully he was just having a bad day and will be more reasonable in future interactions.

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Ok, I must be dense, because I've seen Christmas Story about a bazillion times, and the only quote I see in this post is the title (Simpsons).

Maybe Pedantic Dad took your jest as a "Well DUH I'm a parent" statement from you? Who knows. I work with someone exactly like that - she cannot hear a comment like that without thinking it's a slight against her, so I have to be very precise what I say around her to avoid the drama llama.

Make sure the kids get to mix red and green martinis.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Yeah that is likely the case even though that wasn't my intention. I was being cheerful about being a parent. I wasn't even being dead-pan.

[ms-pooka.livejournal.com]

i keep getting the feeling someone has spread a false rumor about me at oliver's school and now the parents are all steering clear. perhaps i made a humorous comment to someone and it was taken poorly, like with your dad-person. or, i'm paranoid.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Too many jokes about your time as a high-class call girl will do that.

[ms-pooka.livejournal.com]

well, i could be one of the staff.

[artemis-moon.livejournal.com]

What a dad. No sense of humor at all!