Critical parenting error
There comes a time in every parent’s life, I’m sure, when they look back at something they did and realize that it was not just a mistake, but a decision from which they will have to recover over time. Perhaps even involve professionals.
I should explain that Noah’s genetic heritage involves alcoholism on most sides of the family. Carl’s grandfather was renouned for his drunkeness, my paternal grandfather drank and even eventually did his own version of AA, and my maternal grandmother did not consider herself an alcoholic because she was always able to wait for her first daily gin and tonic until 10 am, when The Price is Right came on. Oh and one of my uncles was fired for drinking at work.
Then there are the myriad other addictions: my maternal grandfather spent every night and early morning talking on ham radio, the true precursor to the Internet blog discussion, and Carl has battled his own demons… mostly on World of Warcraft.
This weekend Carl and I forgot to take care with this heritage.
It started so innocently. Noah is so into songs and finger games and dancing that we, children of the 60s and 70s, thought that the logical extension would be to introduce musicals into our DVD library. And so Carl went out and tried to find The Sound of Music, but it being November and all, he could only find Mary Poppins.
And now our lives are slowly slipping into a living hell. The walls echo with the cry from the throat of this child to whom I gave birth:
Poppins! Poppins! Poppins!
No cherubic slip into sleep with a murmur of love any longer: oh no, last night the babe passed into slumber murmuring “supercali… doCIOUS! fragi!” I too dreamt of dancing penguins, and then a visionary foreshadowing: Noah, in drag, at Tallulah’s, belting out Julie Andrews’ tunes.
And of course when there’s an addict in the house, the whole family is affected. This morning in the elevator I found myself whistling… dare I say it? “Just a spoonful of sugar, helps the medicine go down!”
Where will it end?
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Hey! it could always be worse…he could be singing Louie Louie!
lol
Or anything by the Wiggles. (shudder)