Driven to madness (takes abt 2 hours to get there)

My mum is driving me mad. OK, she been driving me mad for years, but she has her particularly outrageous moments.

Let me preface this rant with this: I love my mum. She was a superb mother when I was growing up (I credit her with many of my own child-raising attitudes) and she’s a good grandmother. But she’s … a bit odd. That and she drives me mad.

Here’s her latest notion: She’s decided that she wants a photographic portrait of my son, Boy, and her husband’s grandson. (Let’s call him Lexington Boy – LB for short).

This irks me on several different levels.

Both I and her husband’s daughter have other children: we both have two girls (her oldest is a daughter). Mum’s husband also has another daughter who has two girls. What’s up with this? Even if it was a ‘boy thing’ what about my own second son due in seven weeks?

Also, I have trouble with the whole fact that these two kids aren’t related. Not only not related but they’ve never met. AND neither mum nor her husband is particularly close to LB. As a matter of fact mum’s husband hasn’t had opportunity to spend more than a few minutes a few times with MY son since he was born.

Now, I understand the blended family thing and I have no problem with it. My mum, my dad and Darling Hubby’s dad are all remarried. My rule is that if this person makes them happy, then I’m cool. I don’t have to sleep with ‘em, just be civil.

But these married-in people’s people are not related to me. I can’t abide it when my kids are told about ‘aunt so-and-so’ and ‘cousin whatever’. Uhhhh, NO. You people are not even remotely related to me or my children. Stop it! All of this artificial family building is for the birds. It’s just a modern PC let’s-protect-everyone’s-self-esteem thing. Can’t we all just acknowlwdge that we’re NOT related? Why is that a bad thing? What’s wrong with the truth? It’s not ugly … it’s just a fact. So what?

And finally, I’m seriously perturbed at the choice of this photographer. Nothing against her per se, just that why-oh-why did Mum pick a person who was in a town close to her but ages away from where the two children live? Seriously. I’ll have to drive 2 hours one way. What’s wrong with Olan Mills or Wal Mart or Sears I ask you?

I have no doubt that she’s charging some outrageous fee and, get this: she photograpohs kids for living but her earliest appointment is at 10am.

My children nap from 11-2.

I have to drive 2 hours to get there. More pointedly, I have to drive 2 hours to get back home. Darling Hubby will be working so I’ll have Tall Girl and Bitty Girl with me.

Missing their naps.

Not getting photographed.

Can you feel my rage and irritation coming through your computer screen?