my parents were so laissez-faire about our appearance that I was genuinely surprised when they got upset that time I decided to shave off half my hair.

I seriously doubt that my father ever even noticed the color of anything I was wearing. (Though my father is really unobservant. It used to be a game when we were kids, to ask him, "What's different?" when he got home from work, and then giggle for the ten minutes it took him to notice that there was a new couch or something. I think this was much more fun for us than it was for him.)

It took my mother ten minutes of talknig to me to work out that I'd shaved off my beard. Ten minutes and a visit to the bathroom to discover someone had left a shaver out next to the sink.

Still better than the fifteen years it took her to notice her dad had a moustache.

I don't think this dad really had any idea what his daughter *was* wearing. But he was clearly interested in buying her *girl* clothes, I assume because that's what he thought he was supposed to do.

And she so clearly already knew who she was at eight that I just wanted to scream at him, "Lay off. This kid is obviously running the world, one day. She can wear whatever the fuck she wants."

Kids know who they are at a sort of basic level, even really young. They all need to experiment and try stuff out, but the idea of making your kid into something s/he isn't just baffles me.

recovery~ma Erin! & welcome home.

vw - feel better and take care of yourself.

{{Jilli}}

DH came home today talking about the trans-gender broadcasts - it was quite stereophonic, hearing his take on things, in tune with this board. Very nice. He'd missed the 'meandering toward motherhood' piece, so I let that one drop. he's heard my side of that debate plenty.

Oh! and a piece of news - the journal that has been all nolo me tangere about an article of DH's finally, after 3.5 years, published it. WOO-HOO! Thesis sees daylight. This would be the thesis that is the same exact age as Iris, as he was finishing it when I went into labor.

Cindy, it was last Friday. The guy who dinged us for a BURNED OUT LIGHT BULB IN THE GARAGE, then dinged us for not having the correct soil on the new grading we had done around the house.

So we had our contractor correct that (even though the dumbass inspector never said what kind of soil to use--just that it was wrong). On this past re-re-inspection, he told us that the contractor used the right soil but the grade was 1% off or something equally stupid.

Christopher checked got the report at 4 a.m. this morning when he couldn't sleep. Then our wonky computer konked out for good, so he had to go into the office to print up the report. He proceeded to call every person involved on this buy out: our realtor, the contractor, the inspector, the relocation specialist, the head of human resources and I think the Pope.

We got a call from the Director of Human Resources promising that "this will be resolved quickly."

Um, yeah...I'm not going to hold my breath on this. The seven month odyssy of the three-month "guaranteed buyout" has sapped my strength.

As is the incident at the gym's daycare this week. Owen apparently took a toy knife and sort of put it up to the throat of a new member/mom who was checking out the day care center. She knelt down on the floor to say hello to him and he decided to play "pretend to cut a bitch."

New mom freaked out, I didn't find out about the incident until yesterday, when I had to sign an incident report and found out that both the mother AND the father were coming into the daycare to talk to the director (who likes us and Owen and is very professional and nice). Guess all those cookies we sent to the daycare staff are paying off.

I'm also stressed about having to go out and buy a new laptop, wanting to strangle my husband and my attitude-packin' two-year old.

Must crawl into a hole and hide from the humans.

Oh good god, Owen. Cut your mom some slack.

(((Cashmere)))

augh! The axe effect! It's burning my eyes! I'd seriously rather they blow cigarette smoke in the box office window. How can that guy stand himself? I honestly couldn't breathe. Oh lordy I feel sorry for anyone else watching Iron Man right now.

seriously owen... Why use that move on total strangers when we have quite a large collection of assheads to practice on? Or the house inspector could also work... {{Cashmere}} oi.

Eek, what a memememe post. Sorry. That rant was simmering.

Erin, much recovery ~ma for you.

Bug, I hope you're ok.

{{{Jilli}}}