Last week at work a very nice couple came into the Visitor Center. They saw the poster we have on the wall advertising the National Park Pass. The poster has a picture of Yellowstone with geysers and bison.
Nice man: Do you have buffalo in the Park here?
Ranger Kodi: No, that is of Yellowstone.
Nice woman: Geez, honey. Everyone knows that Yellowstone is in California.
I laughed under my breath, not wanting to offend anyone. I suppose a lot of people would get Yellowstone and Yosemite mixed up, but it was quite amusing as the lady seemed quite smug in her vast knowledge of National Parks.
We also had a Student Intern who wanted to know what kind of bats were in the Park. He was getting quite frustrated looking through the Bird book for bats until I informed him that bats were not, in fact, birds. Bats were mammals. He was quite sheepish.
I hiked Taylor Creek with some people from the BLM (A different federal land agency), and it was nice, but cold.
Kiri unbeknownst to me attended a rock concert on Saturday night, and when I found out about it I wasn't too happy. I reprimanded her for not telling me where she was and she replied in a very flippant way "Mom, it was a Christian Rock Band, there was no alcohol or drugs, and ALL my friends were there." That shut me up for a minute, but then I told her that if she ever goes out again without telling me, she would be grounded every weekend for a long long time. She didn't seem to feel the threat was serious because she just flounced away. I miss being her best friend. I miss her thinking I was fun to hang out with. I miss feeling close to my daughter. I don't want to alienate her, but I don't want to let her run wild either. I am at a loss on how to relate to her anymore.
Some good news. My parents are coming to my house for Thanksgiving this year. I was asking my mother what her plans for the holiday were, and she said she didn't feel good enough to travel all the way to my grandmother's house, and as she had inadvertently burned her oven up, as well as a good portion of the kitchen, they would probably eat thanksgiving at a restaurant. To which I replied "Come to my house!", and my mother's answer was "Can you even cook a turkey?". I assured her that YES, I can cook a turkey. Just because I was a tomboy throughout childhood, and had no interest in learning how to cook, I have since been forced to learn after the birth of my child. So indeed, Kodi can cook. And by God, it will be fabulous! My misspent youth haunts me to this day.
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7 comments:
I'm so scared of having to set boundries for a teenager (can't they just stay babies?). I don't think it's an easy thing to do. It sounds like you're handeling it beautifully though!
I wish that I had some more advice seeing that I am supposed to be an expert in adolescent behavior and all. I think that Kiri honestly didn't think about how her actions would affect you. Teenagers are known for being pretty egocentric and one sighted again. I would just tell her what your concerns are and let her know that there will be consequences if it happens again. I think it's so funny the things that teens come up with to defend their actions, and I was so guilty of this. It's not bad that she lied to you because she went to a Christian rock concert. Like it's the concert that bothered you and not the lying.
The teen years are SO hard. My mom and I had a great relationship when I was young and have a great relationship now, but when I was a teen it was hell for us both. I don't know what there is that can be done differently. But trying works and telling her how you'd like it to be probably helps too.
The only time I ever cooked a turkey I ordered it from the grocery store completely prepped and ready to go. Kudos to you for knowing your way around large poultry.
ha, lonna said what I was going to say - like it was the concert that you were upset about and not the fact that she didn't tell you. trent pulls that on me all the time and it always throws me off balance until I remember, hey, that's not even the issue. by that time, my authority in the situation is usually pretty worthless. crazy kids. crazy like foxes.
That girl! Someday, she'll have kids, and you can say--"That's what you get!"
Yay for you being able to cook! Remember the summer we practically lived on Jello pudding pops? We made Shane ride down to the store in Hinkley to get them for us? Hee hee I love him!!!! But alas we had to grow up and learn how to feed our babies if not ourselves! I too am making a turkey for Q and I.
As for Kiri and your feeling of being left out of her life, I think the too of you have a strong relationship that could handle you telling her how you are feeling, ya know guilt always worked on us as kids :) Hang tight darlin' and you know some teenage crisis will come up and she will be running right back to you! Don't doubt yourself, you are doing GREAT!!!
You know, I find that mothers and daughters go in phases. I remember loving my mother and wanting to hang with her, and thinking she was the greatest. The next year, she was like the plague. Then, after I grew up, she became my best friend again.
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