Newt and Elfie are “graduating” from kindergarten and preschool next week (which is quite an accomplishment, what with the number of courses they had to complete and the scores they had to achieve on the exit exams). This event prompted the standard conversation between Tenzin and my mother that goes something like this:
Nan: “So I asked Newt if he deserved something for his kindergarten graduation.”
Tenzin: “Deserved something. As in what sort of something.”
Nan: “Just a little treat.”
Tenzin: “Like a little treat, or a 50 dollar piece of plastic that’s going to take up more room in my house?”
So goes the ongoing battle of wills between the over-indulgent grandmother and the father who doesn’t want his children to turn into spoiled assholes. Historically, I’ve sided with Tenzin on these little exchanges, but neither of us are fighting all that hard anymore since Nan probably won’t be around to spoil the kids for too many more special occasions. Funny how the things that bother you the most about a person tend to be the things you’ll miss. No one will spoil Newt and Elfie the way she does. No one else will blatantly break my rules right in front of my face. Or bring the kids home jacked up on TV and junkfood. Or find excuses to buy them ridiculous presents in August.
And they’ll be no one else for Tenzin to “give the business” to, while she feigns irritation and smiles, knowing she’s of course gotten her way. Because Nan always gets her way. Except in this particular instance. . . when she’s being told to leave the party early and there’s no one to argue with.
Tammy Soong is a writer, wife, and mom from Reno, Nevada. She takes an absurd amount of pain medication, but not enough to have actually named her children "Newt" and "Elfie." She spends most days stressing out over clutter, writing stuff for this place, and working on podcasts with her gal pals, the Blogging Betties.