Playing Favorites!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

My daughter is at it again.  She seems to never miss an opportunity to tell people that I prefer Fudge and Vern over my own kids.  At Thanksgiving, she launched into a story about the Doodle Christmas card and can’t seem to let it go that I said ONE time I needed a family portrait done with just John, Fudge, Vern, and me.   The thing is I get no credit for handling this sticky situation with grace and finesse and it wasn’t like I screamed for her to get out of the picture.  I simply said, “Ok, for these family portraits, we are going to need you to step out of the frame and take the picture.”  She doesn’t give any of these details in the retelling of this story, but simply says her mother wanted a Christmas picture done with just the dogs.   When you hear her tell her version, it sounds like I shoved her out of the picture at the last minute and screamed, “Smile, Hayley just lost her footing.”

If that isn’t bad enough, she also loves to tell everyone that she has very few pictures of her childhood because I didn’t take any photos, but now I have a fancy camera and take a million of Fudge and Vern.  When I tell her there was no way her sister and she would ever have chased a tennis ball and brought it back to me in their mouths so I could get a good picture, she brings up stuff about graduations, birthdays, and school events.  I tell her all the time that I didn’t need any photos of those things because I remember it so clearly and I would be happy to draw her a picture from my memory, but she never likes the stick figures I come up with in my illustrations.  I mean, chriminy Christmas, what more can I do? 

Megan is just as bad.  If she calls me when I am out walking the dogs and I tell her I have to call her back, she always asks, “Who is more important? Your dogs or your daughter?”  I guess a couple of times I took too long to answer the question and that landed me in hot water.  Once, I said, “I plead the Fifth,” and she said back that sometimes she thinks I drink a Fifth because a person in their right mind would know the right answer to that question.  When I said I had to go because Fudge and Vern wanted me off the phone, because they like when both my hands are free so I can point out interesting stuff to them on our walks, she started reminiscing about the time I escorted her on her class trip to Annapolis.  Apparently, we were supposed to visit ten interesting landmarks during the day, but I determined all that “learning” stuff sounded pretty boring and we would visit one in case we were quizzed later and then go shopping.   I can’t be sure, because I didn’t take any pictures, but I just bet I pointed out great stuff to her all day, too.

Look over there, Megan. I see two boats.

The funny thing is I can sort of sympathize with my girls, because at times I am sure John prefers Fudge and Vern to me.  He won’t come right out and admit it, because I can hold a grudge longer than those two and be far more vocal, but I have seen the signs. He calls Fudge and Vern right up on his recliner with him to snuggle and the few times I have said, “move over, I’m climbing in that chair with you,” he starts protecting his body parts and grunts and groans and once his face turned really red and it seemed like he was gasping for air.  I have seen the movie Titanic and I have visions of how that would play out in real life if our Pontoon capsized and John had to make some hard choices.  In the movie, it was women and children saved first, but I fear it would be Fudge and Vern first and he would send me into the water with an emergency whistle and the anchor and the parting words to “hold on tightly and keep blowing until help arrives.”  He will let Fudge and Vern up on the bed with us and sleep with his feet hanging off the bed so they have more room, but if I put my cold hands or feet on him in bed he screams like a little girl and begs me to move over. 

By the time we got Fudge and Vern, I was older and wiser, but when I tell this to my kids they always laugh at the wiser part. In fact, when I told one of them that with age came wisdom, someone said I must be a lot younger than I look. Is it any wonder with all these one-line zingers flying around that I sometimes prefer the company of two dogs who think I am pretty great?  Just don’t tell my kids I said that, or I will never hear the end of it.  

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Janie, LOL....Megan calls me a Stay at Home!

Cheryl, Thank you! I think if our kids want us to like them best, they should move closer :)

Pat, I do the same thing to my kids...tell them Fudge and Vern are their brother and sister. I also tell my mom they are her grandkids. She says I have a screw loose :)

Carol, What is it that makes our kids want to embarrass us at family get togethers?? LOL I think they are the problem, not us :)

Thanks, Cheryl. Yep, I tell my girls it could always be worse :) Don't tell them, but I got lucky in the kids and dog's department.

Miss Ellie, Thank you so much!!

Sherri, Thank you!!

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

OMD so funny! And yes I've heard the same from Katie before! For starters, I worked during some of her childhood and for Jack and Jilly, I'm their stay at home Mom! Oops

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

ROTFL Laurie!  Great blog! My son is out on the West Coast so he definitely feels he's losing ground to Finnegan. Also, glad to know others get some of those warped memories LOL

[Pat and Traveler]

Hilarious!  Love the family photo with the matching bandanas.  :)  My kids don't seem to mind that I call Trav their brother--or they pretend like they don't mind.  lol

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh Laurie….I can so relate.   My kids are openly jealous of Banjo.   They have amazingly warped and exaggerated  memories of the times they think I was being a "less than perfect parent".   For some reason they love to rehash these memories at family get togethers.   If you listened to them you'd think I raised them on Saltine Crackers alone and burned every Christmas morning breakfast I ever prepared.   

Just the other night I was saying to DH that Banjo is the best kid we ever had!   LOL!   

[cheryl & oliver]

Laurie, I totally agree with you, Oliver never rolls his eyes at us, as if we were not from this planet, he doesn't argue with us, (well most of the time) and he doesn't ask for anything but love and food, and maybe a good walk. He loves to cuddle, and seems to know when I need some cheering up.  Now kids on the other hand do not remember all the years we did for them, and the hundreds if not thousnads of pictures we took thru the years..Nor do they understand that now that they are not living at home with us, we have more time, (well some of us) to snap those pictures, and dote on our fur babies...Kids have very selective memories, lol..Great blog as usual..thanks Laurie... 

 

[Miss Ellie]

Laurie...you never disappoint us your DK friends...your hilarious blogs are very much adored & appreciated...we love seeing all the wonderful pictures of your dogs:)

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Laurie you are awesome. I'm so glad I don't have any of those pesky human children to get in the way of me and my doodles. Sheesh.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sheila, LOL...thank you!! I have a few of #1 daughter, even fewer of #2 daughter. Hey, I was busy :)

F, LOL...I know....I am so glad they cannot read. Life is better with dogs. Sweet Luca would never cause any trouble.

Bonnie, I bet that will work on them and they will be lining up to take a ball shot with me :) LOL I can just hear them. If only I had paid attention to kid calendar contests.

Nancy, ROTFL about the no film. I am sure I did that, too!

Karen, You have a point there. My kids probably like my dogs better than me, too.

Lonnie, We did the same thing. I always made John put them back in their own beds if they tried to sneak in with us. Fudge and Vern are allowed up for as long as they like :) LOL

[Sheila & Finnley]

I have lots of pictures from when my kids were younger. They are all still in those disposable cameras waiting to be developed !! I kid you not. Digital has been a thrill since we got Finnley. Take the picture, then run like hell to upload it on the computer ! My #1 daughter doesn't say much as there are tons of photos of her. #2 son feels a bit slighted, but because he is a guy, he doesn't have the sentimental attachment to what he can remember that should be in a picture. Finnley doesn't care either way As always I love your pictures Laurie, with or without DH, or DD !