Thanks for all the encouraging comments, folks.
Please know that were my Mom to blog, you'd probably get to hear that I'm uncommunicative (I don't talk much, confide, and so on); I'm impatient; I'm not as respectful as I should be, and I don't listen to what she has to say, or treat it with appropriate respect.
I also don't dress appropriately much of the time, and don't bother to think how I look. (I also don't wear makeup, despite her encouragement, nor do I wear proper shoes, or skirts/dresses, etc.)
I'm not as supportive as I should be; this is especially true in comparison with several of my cousins and their relationship with their mother.
I don't think about other people enough, and am too self-centered.
All of these things are true, just so you know.
That said, we're doing a bit better. I think we're both trying hard.
We went to Hiroshima yesterday, and that was good for us. It's a good reminder that our petty irritations are just that.
We're off for our tour, and probably won't have internet access in the near future. Take care, blogfriends!
I am beginning to think that you are me and my mother is your mother, somehow split into simultaneous parallel universes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't commented much on these past few posts, but I've been reading them and pondering them hard, as they really speak to me and my relationship with my mother. I don't know what can make any of it easier, but your thoughtfulness about the difficulty, and your willingness to try to appreciate what your mother is able to try to do (travelling to Japan has got to be taking her outside her comfort zone, no?) and trying to appreciate what you're aspiring to (even if you can't cut all the frustration...surely that's bound to help in the long run. This is hard work you're doing, and I admire you both.
Nothing like a nuclear bomb to put mother-daughter tensions in perspective. I should mention that to my mom and sister.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone thoughtful enough to enjoy your blog realizes that your mom has her side too...it's just that we don't get to hear it, and so we encourage you. If you are happy and okay, you'll be more able to make your mom happy as well, so by encouraging you, we are really thinking of you both...at least that's what *I* think. Have a great trip! Tell us about it when you can.
--Theodora, too lazy to log in
Have a good trip, if you see this! And mothers are hard!!
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