Parental Reality Check

My parents were in town this weekend. Considering how far away they live, they are relatively frequent visitors to our neck of the woods, and it's always nice to see them, as they are helpful and always willing to babysit (whoo hoo).

But, as with all good things, there's the downside...my mother can be very , how do I say this, difficult. She one of those people who does not know what is inappropriate to say to people - especially her own children. Prime example: apparently she was reading a study that linked cancer to weight and eating habits, which leads her to blurt out gems like this:

"Well, according to this study, you and Eric are going to get cancer for sure." She says this with such authority that you would think we had been named personally in said study.

This comment is just one example of the little gems she comes up with all the time, which after all my years on this planet, I should be used to, as she has done this all my life. But, it never fails to make my blood boil. She just says things that are downright mean and then justifies her words by saying like: "I says what's on my mind, and if you don't like it, too bad." As though this is a valid defense. And it doesn't have to been food related, it could be anything - housekeeping, child rearing, spending habits, nothing is sacred or off limits. Obviously, it her own mind, she is a regular Martha Stewart, without, of course the jail time or the tendency to gain weight.

I've often wondered why she has never learned to curb this tendency, as it always changes the tone of what was otherwise probably a perfectly pleasant conversation. But she is my mother, and in general, there is more good than bad that goes along with her visits. Thankfully, in this, (and in most respects) I'm nothing like her. I don't know anyone else who is. And that's a good, good thing.